What Makes a Good Assistant?
by Ethia
Summary: Naru doesn't acknowledge me, but can't he see it? My powers are growing stronger case by case, for him. All I wanted to do was help him, but maybe I am just a tool he uses for his convenience; something to replace Gene. That is what Gene wanted after all, isn't it? Why do I love someone so... Maybe I should quit while I'm ahead...
1. THE BRUISED AND BATTERED CHILD

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this and I'm not trying to sell any of it.**

**AN: I guess this is just how I like to see Naru's and Mai's relationship resolved since the author didn't want to cover it. Also, Madoka won't be here forever. She's just standing in. This takes place after the manga finishes so if you haven't read all of it—or at least researched everything there is to know about the series—then don't blame me for any spoilers because you have now been warned **（￣ｗ￣）

**AN 2: AN:「when I write things in brackets like this」it's because the words are coming from the TV or they've been written on something. I don't know why I prefer it like that… but I do…**

**AN 3: Also, this is before I knew about the new Ghost Hunt manga thing that's out so just ignore anything you may read from that story… heh heh**

CASE 1: THE BRUISED AND BATTERED CHILD

And in a blur we parted…

The time between Gene's funeral and the return of SPR went by in a rush, which means that the period I spent waiting for my job to pick back up felt more like a short vacation rather than a drawn out wait for a season to pass. I was only out of the job for two weeks before Madoka was back from England and opening SPR up for the public. She called me as soon as she was in Shibuya and ushered me to the office to help her file new forms and paperwork, and establish a more permanent basis for the job. I'm happy to be working again but I had gotten used to sleeping in on my days off from school.

The first one to join us from the break is Yasuhara. He wants to continue working on the side in between his schooling as he attends an intermediate college. His main objective is to save up funds and study abroad in a foreign university after finishing his mandatory generals. With him around, the paperwork filing and organizing becomes tremendously easier, and within a week the mountain of work we had dwindled to the mundane daily chores that accompany every office job.

The second to join us is Ayako. During the break she made a personal trip to her parents' hospital to visit and help around as a side nurse when needed. Later, she told us that it was one of her rituals to visit the large tree that had taught her when she was a child; she was there to care for and attend to it. The ceremonies she tried to have with the tree were opposed on by her parents who wished she would give up on her _psychic fantasies_ and finally go to school to finish her doctorate. When she received my text stating that '_SPR is back in business'_ she jumped at the chance to end her trip and come back to help us on the first train she could.

Because of Yasu's help, there isn't a whole lot for Ayako to do though, so the four of us putt around the office until our first client arrives. He's mediocre by our normal standards, but Madoka doesn't want to take on a large case when she only has three members assisting her, one of which is still relatively inexperienced (me), another of which isn't good at exorcising anything unless old trees are nearby (Ayako), and the third of which isn't a psychic at all (Yasu). _Now that I think about it, why is Madoka accepting cases when the team's so ill-equipped anyway?_

Regardless, after the dinging of the office's doorbell and an interview with a short, careless-looking old man, the four of us find ourselves driving out of Shibuya; heading towards a small town on what seems like the outskirts of civilization itself.

"So let's analyze the case then," Yasu begins, pulling out the case file and examining the notes that we took during the interview as well as the ones that he researched before we started the drive; he wasn't able to turn up much. He might not be a psychic but it is nice having a second Naru handy; especially since he lacks Naru's infuriating personality.

"Well we know that his granddaughter is being possessed by something," Ayako says from the front seat. She is riding shot gun while Madoka drives. "And the bruises on the child's back and arms show that the spirit is definitely the violent type," she adds, referring to the pictures the old man had brought with him.

"She's too young for it to be a poltergeist. Plus I don't think there's enough evidence to point there anyway," I added, somewhat from experience and also because I want to seem knowledgeable. _Too bad Naru isn't here to see me acting smart._

"So if it's an actual spirit how are we going to find it? Plus if there aren't any trees around how are we going to exorcise it?" Madoka says, finally chiming in.

"I suppose you can't exorcise anything?" Ayako asks. She's trying to compose herself and keep from snapping; not liking the fact that she is useless at exorcism without _live_ trees nearby.

"I'm just a humble ghost hunter," is Madoka's response.

"Maybe we can teach Mai how to exorcise spirits then?" Yasu suggests with a witty grin.

"Me? Exorcise a spirit? I can't even see them," I say. Why is the conversation turning on me now? I'm not that great. Sure I have premonitions and at times I've experiences the events that occurred in a spirit's previous life, and I suppose there was that one time I astral projected myself to Masako; but what does any of that have to do with exorcising?

"That's not true though. Didn't you admit that you met Naru's older brother out in the forest? You talked to his spirit while you were awake. He wasn't an orb or anything even; you saw him full bodied," Ayako says. We're finally turning onto the long driveway that leads to the old man's house. Hopefully our quick arrival will end this conversation.

"That's true, but even Masako said that it was probably because I'd become very familiar with him by that point. Plus, I haven't seen him or any other spirits since," I argued. It has been over a month now since Gene was found.

The car slows to a stop.

"We're here," Madoka says. "Let's unpack our stuff." We clamber out of the car as Madoka pops the trunk open for us. She walks to the house and knocks on the door; introducing herself and asking the woman who answered where we could set up our base. Ayako, Yasuhara, and I unload the trunk of the car, pulling out a couple of cameras and stands, as well as two small televisions, and a switchboard. Without the van Naru and Lin had been renting we were only able to bring standard materials, meaning even our equipment for this case was lackluster.

The house itself is small, adding to the list of un-coolness for the job. On second thought, I'm happy that Naru isn't here. He probably would have never accepted this case in the first place but even so, our predicament is so laughable that I'm happy the dumb narcissist isn't here to ridicule us. The mission should be easy, but our team is badly prepared.

_I'll prove him wrong though!_ We're going to beat this case without his, Lin's, Monk's… John's… or even Masako's help. _Oh man._ The other's notice that my mind has wandered off as I think about the missing pieces of our SPR puzzle.

"What are you fantasizing about?" Ayako asks, grabbing my attention. I wave her off and we go back to walking down a narrow hallway in the house.

_Oh right, the house!_ I look around and collect my surroundings. It's two floors but also compact, with a tiny hallway connecting the living room to the kitchen and laundry room, plus a downstairs toilet room, and one extra bedroom. Upstairs there's a main bedroom and three smaller rooms; one of which is an office, and then there is also a wash room. We decide that Yasu will sleep in the office upstairs and we three girls will sleep with the equipment in the spare room downstairs. The other three rooms are for the grandfather, his granddaughter, and the woman who greeted us at the door, as well as her husband; both of which confirmed themselves as the little girl's parents. _Not that I had assumed otherwise._

The atmosphere in the house is uncomfortable. While we set up our two cameras, one in the main room downstairs and the other in the young girl's bedroom, the father and mother argue with the grandfather, asking him why he had called us here.

"Was it not you Minori-san that said you feared a spirit had gotten a hold of young Rika-chan?" the old man says. "Why would I hesitate in calling experts to our household in hopes of dispelling this spirit?"

"They're hardly experts," Minori says to us with a tantalizing gaze and an unimpressed tone. "And I will not stand to have a video camera placed in my daughter's bedroom."

With a hidden sigh, I bow slightly to Minori, and then climb back up the stairs to move the camera into the hallway.

"Onee-san," Rika says while I entered her room after a quick knock. She appears neither happy nor upset by my presence and continues sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall while she stares aimlessly at the hard wood floor.

"Are you shy Rika-chan? Why don't you come downstairs and I'll introduce you to the rest of my team?" I ask, trying to cheer her up with the idea of meeting knew friends.

"Is it my fault that you're here?" Is all Rika says in response.

"N-no, why would it be?" I say and the smile I was giving her drops a little. "Your mother told your grandfather that a spirit has been haunting you so he summoned us here to help get rid of it."

"A spirit?" She says, looking up to me.

"Yeah. Do you have a special friend that no one else can see or talk to?" I say.

"Bunny-chan?" Rika stands up and rushes to her futon, grabbing hold of a fat, plump rabbit doll. "I'm the only one who can talk to Bunny-chan."

"Can I hold her quick?" I say and she hands me the stuffed animal.

Normally, if the doll is being possessed or is acting as a container for a spirit, my instincts would jump in and I would feel an ominous presence. I don't though. In fact I don't feel anything while I hold the cute bunny doll, which had on a pink sun dress that matches the one that Rika is wearing.

"Here you go." I hand the doll back to Rika and then proceed to move the camera.

Before walking back downstairs, Rika wonders over to me. "Don't tell mama that I talked to you, okay? I don't want her to know I was talking to a stranger."

"Don't worry, I won't tell," I say with a smile before she heads back to her room. It's weird that she is so worried though. _We are staying at her house after all._

The atmosphere downstairs hasn't settled. In fact, Minori and her husband go so far as to refuse to let us eat dinner with them, so we are stuck eating inside of the spare room.

"The cameras aren't picking anything up yet," Yasu says, examining one of the televisions in between mouthfuls of rice and lukewarm curry.

"Spirits tend to be less active when someone new becomes present. It could be a few days, maybe a week even, before we see normal activity," I say. _Wow, I sound a lot smarter when the other members of the team aren't here to show me up with their experience._

"I'm not sure we'll be welcome for that long," Madoka says half heartedly. "Hopefully Mai can have more information gathered for us in the morning." She beams over a radiant smile, filled with un-encouraging encouragement. _Please don't pressure me…_

"Hurry up and finish eating Mai," Ayako snaps jokingly. "We need you to start dreaming so we can get out of here."

I ignored her, though; its weird having everyone rely exclusively on me for a change. I start to feel the weight from their reliance. _What if I can't come up with any answers?_ As I fret, we finish eating and the household tucks in for the night, quickly followed by Yasuhara who leaves for the office. I close my eyes, and as usual, am quickly overtaken by sleep.

Blackness surrounds me.

But as I open my eyes, a soft luminous cloud of fog begins to envelop me, lighting up the darkness but blocking out anything else from view.

_Is he's here?_

I looked around, turning my head left, then right, then left again. _This is the same scene it always is so where is he?_

"Naru?" I call hesitantly. No. Not Naru. "Gene-san?"

And there he is. Gene's tall figure is standing in the distance; dressed from head to toe in black; still mourning his own death. He walks towards me and, although his pace is slow, and the distance between us is great, he appears before me in a few short seconds.

"It's nice to see you again Mai," he says and I feel myself blush. No honorifics, just like Naru says it. _Do I really love Gene over Naru?_

"Why haven't you crossed over yet?" I say as I make myself comfortable in the cloud.

"I need to leave Noll with an adequate assistant. He used to rely on me for everything necessary but I can't be there for him now so I'd like to teach you."

"Teach me?" I say. _There's no way I could amount to Gene's level._

"Yes, we'll start off small and gradually increase your power," Gene says. "The first thing I'd like you to do is start keeping a dream log."

"Dream log?"

"That's right. Every time you have a dream you'll write the date, the time, and then of course the dream." He smiled cheerfully. "I guarantee that doing this alone would impress Noll."

"Alright, I'll start keeping one then." I answer. Before I forget, I add, "Is there an evil spirit in this house?"

"There is nothing that I can show you as of now," Gene says. "If you begin to keep the dream log then maybe some clues will turn up. Acquire the log and then take a few naps tomorrow. That is the only advice I can give you." He vanishes in silence, his presence simply disappearing, fading into the fog as I slowly rise into consciousness.

"Mai? So, how was it? Did you learn anything?" Ayako asks as I sit up from the hard futon the old man has leant us.

I shake my head 'no' before answering. "I saw Gene, but he just said to take a few naps today in hopes of piecing together any clues that might turn up." I turn to Yasu, whose sipping tea with Madoka in the corner of the room. "Do you have a spare notebook I can have by chance?"

"I do actually," Yasu says. After digging into his backpack he reveals a thick, three-subject notebook, and hands it to me.

I open the large book, which is a rich purple color, and write the date and time on the corner of the first page. Next I write my dream entry.「Met Gene again in my dream. He told me to take naps in hopes of piecing together clues.」

"What are you doing?"

Minori's voice echoes loudly down the short hall and into our room. We hurry over to the kitchen and find her glowering at Rika, who is standing beside a broken glass of milk, the contents creating a puddle on the floor by her feet.

"I'm sorry mama, it was an accident," Rika cries.

"Why are you so careless? Clean this mess up now!" Her mother says before noticing us. "What are you lot staring at?"

"We're looking at you," I snap. I can't believe this woman would yell at her daughter like this. "Why are you making Rika-chan clean this up? Sure she spilt the milk but she's a child. If you want to make her clean it then you should at least pick up the broken glass first so that she doesn't hurt herself!"

Without Monk here it seems I can get away with throwing a tantrum. I try to cool myself down but it was easier to do when I had him to restrain me.

Ayako grabs my ear and tugs. "Quiet, Mai, don't speak to our clients like that."

"That hurts Ayako!"

"Owe," Rika gasps. She holds up her hand and reveals blood. On queue she has gone and cut herself through the rag she was trying to soak the milk up with.

"You're completely useless. Go to your room," Minori says to her daughter.

"You won't even dress her wound?" I say before pulling away from Ayako and rushing over to Rika. I follow her upstairs, my hand held gently on her back, where we find her grandfather poking about the hallway. After explaining the situation we go to Rika's room as he finds his first aid case. After examining the finger he determines that there aren't any shards of glass stuck within it and then cleans and bandages it.

"Thank-you for having concern for my granddaughter," he says once he's done.

"Why wouldn't Rika-chan's mother do any of this herself?" I say as I wrap my hands around Rika and hug her tightly.

"Rika-chan's mother has a very short temper," the old man says with a forced grin. "We're used to it by now, I suppose." He leaves the room and then I follow behind him, remembering that Rika doesn't want to get in trouble for being near a stranger.

Downstairs, Madoka tells me to apologize to Minori. Even though I can't forgive the woman for treating her daughter the way she had, I suck up my pride and ask for forgiveness for my behavior. _I have SPR's reputation to uphold after all._

"You really think a stuck-up teenager can gain my forgiveness?" Minori chortles once I'm done. I glare at the ground, but as I raise my head I put on my fakest of smiles before leaving the room. _I think it's about time I took a nap._

I stand within and without Rika's bedroom. Viewing it as though I am a wall itself yet my vision is centered on Rika's futon and the few feet of floor around it.

From the corner of my line of vision Rika enters the room; seemingly thrown onto the floor in front of her bed. She wobbles as she steadies herself into a crouched position on her floor. Tears are streaming across her cheeks.

"Please… Don't hurt me," she whispers apologetically to a figure I can't see.

Her words echo painfully through my head until I wake up from my power nap. I grab my log and proceed to write the new time and the new entry: _Rika can see the force that's attacking her._

_That doesn't make sense though._ When I asked her earlier she said she hadn't seen anything that no one else can. And the only thing that she can talk to is her rabbit doll.

_And her rabbit doll isn't being possessed._ I'm positive about that.

Later that evening Rika's father comes home. All he does is ask when we will be leaving. We eat our dinner inside the spare room again and Yasu makes another comment, saying that neither the regular camera nor the thermal camera has caught any abnormalities in the living room or the upstairs hall. The thermal camera is the one positioned in the upstairs hallway. When I was setting it up, I pointed it towards Rika's room so that we could hopefully detect fluctuating temperatures through the wall.

But no detections or changes have been made.

Soon it is time for sleep again.

As I rest atop the futon I think back to the things I had written in my dream journal and the things that Rika and her grandfather had said. My thoughts begin to consume my mind as I nod off to sleep.

We have been shown pictures of Rika's bruised body; wounds that covered her back and arms. Her mother is the one who told the old man about the spirit but I couldn't sense a spirit possessing the doll, and even Gene didn't have a vision to show me that related to a spirit. Rika seems more scared of her mother than a spirit, which is understandable considering her mother forced her to clean broken glass, plus the old man admitted that Minori has a short temper.

Suddenly I'm back in Rika's room, viewing her futon as though I am the wall again. Rika is flung into the room but this time the entity becomes clear. Her mother storms in and smacks Rika as the young girl pleads for the violence to stop.

_I don't want to see this!_

I jolt awake and quickly take in the dark room; calmness coming over me as I ground myself; taking in deep breaths of air and focusing on reality. Then I noticed the extra visitor in the room.

"N-naru?" I squeal; slamming my hands to my mouth as I try to muffle the noise; Ayako and Madoka are still sleeping.

"There's a big difference between me and Noll," Gene says and I realize he's glowing. He sits beside me on the futon and I feel the air around me grow colder.

"Was that psychometry?" I say to Gene quietly, referring to my dream.

"I'd say it was visualized intuition. Basically your intuition spoke out so clearly that you were able to see it in your dream. It's similar to psychometry but also very different, and unfortunately, despite the fact that your intuition is normally spot-on, there's no way of proving your dream was right unless we obtain more facts," Gene says.

"Isn't that normally how it goes?" I sigh as I stumble in the dark, looking for my dream log. I find a flash light and turn it on so that I can see while I write my new dream down.

"It is, that's why Noll uses all this equipment and it's also one of the reasons why you're keeping the dream log," Gene says.

Then it hits me. Researchers always have to make note of everything they study to show absolute proof in what they're doing. _So that's why Naru will be impressed that I'm taking it upon myself to log my dreams into a journal._

"So what should I do? I know there isn't a spirit here," I say.

"Get some rest, and in the morning tell Madoka," Gene answers before vanishing into the night. I wonder how I'm supposed to sleep knowing what I now know but of course I pass out almost instantly.

In the morning, I pull our small team to the side and explain what I've deduced. Madoka asks to see my dream log, even though it only has three entries, and then takes everything into consideration.

"Alright then, everyone, pack up the equipment. We're leaving," she says with a instructive snap.

"But, what about Rika-chan?" I say, my voice rising from shock. I wasn't expecting her to simply drop the case.

"There's no point in staying if there aren't any spirits around. We're ghost hunters, not Child Services, and we don't have enough proof to go to the police anyway."

I realize that Madoka and Naru are more similar then I thought. He did learn from her after all. But Madoka is so nice; she can't possibly want to leave after learning about this can she?

As if knowing what I'm thinking, Madoka smiles reassuringly. "Don't worry. I plan on saying something to our client before we leave."

Within a few hours our stuff is loaded into the back of the car and we are saying our goodbyes to the family, the father of which is at work again.

"So you're sure there aren't any spirits here?" the old man asks.

Madoka's usually smiling and aloof expression is cast away for a frown. "Yes, and I must say, you should reconsider how your granddaughter is being treated by the other members of this household." She turns to stare amenably at Minori, her normally cheerful face burning with distaste.

"And what are you suggesting with a look like that?" Minori says, growling angrily at Madoka.

"There is nothing I can say for I am but a humble ghost hunter," Madoka says with a sing-song like voice, her smile coming back with a large dose of sarcasm. We wave farewell to the family, openly ignoring Minori, and proceed to the car.

Even though there is little we can do for Rika, I know that the grandfather will make sure she isn't hurt again. I don't know how I know, but it is a strong feeling within my gut and a firm voice within my mind that tells me so. _So I know it's true._ As I sat in my seat I noticed Gene staring at me from the other side of the car door.

The window begins to lower as I hold my finger on top of the button that controls it.

"You don't have to do that, you can hear me speak just fine with the window there," Gene says once the window is opened halfway. His ghostly voice isn't muffled by the glass.

"Oh, my bad," I say and start to roll the window back up.

Gene laughs; a large grin on his face. "You're funny. I'll see you back at the base." And with that he's gone.

"Who were you talking to Mai?" Yasu asks, turning to look at me as he enters the car on the other side.

"Wha? N-no one," I say quickly.

"Looks like Mai can see spirits," Madoka says as she pulls the car away from the house.

"No, I can't," I say, trying to argue. _Gene doesn't count. Does he?_

"Maybe it's just one spirit specifically," Ayako says slyly. They all know I had that dream with Gene in it.

With a lot of teasing ahead of me I make myself comfortable for the long ride to Shibuya, wondering when the rest of our team will join us. For once I have mixed feelings about seeing my friends. I miss them and want to be alongside them again, but I also like that I alone solved this case. _Okay, I guess Gene did help me as my spiritual guide, but still, it was nice to not be in the background doing grunt work for once and actually making a difference on a case._

Ayako and Yasu must have stopped teasing me, or maybe I drowned them out. All I know is that there voices barely sound in the background as I resolve to become a stronger psychic so that I can help on cases just as well as Monk, John, and Masako. Then, before I know it, I have drifted off to sleep again.

I wonder what dream awaits me around the corner of my mind.

**AN: Reviews and critiques please. I want to know what you think of my story; your thoughts and opinions. I want you to critique my story. Tell me what's good about it AND what's bad or things that I should fix, change. Suggestions even. With your help I can make this story even better.**

**Fast Facts #1: Minori ****( **実 **) ****means "truth" and ****Rika ( **理香** ) ****means "true fragrance"**


	2. THE VENGEFUL WOMAN

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this and I'm not trying to sell any of it.**

**AN: Holy Crap this chapter… err… case is long.**

***UPDATE* AN: Ha ha I wrote that last AN a while ago! Future chapters can get a heck of a lot longer than this one!** ( ＾▽＾)σ

CASE 2: THE VENGEFUL WOMAN

…like leaves drifting apart in the wind.

A few quiet days go by after the case with Rika-chan. Yasuhara hangs out with me in the main room, working on homework, while Madoka stays in Naru's office, organizing paper work and preparing his desk.

"We can't have your crabby president complaining about having to set up his office, now can we?" she says, singing a song to herself as she closes his study's door behind her.

I sit awkwardly on the opposite side of Yasu. I'm not sure if I should interrupt him with conversation or not; he's focusing unusually hard on his work. There isn't a whole lot to do; all of my own homework is done. I think of Ayako and wonder what she was up to.

"You're just infuriating," a voice says from downstairs, drowning out the front door's bell as footsteps begin sounding and the person starts walking up to the main floor.

"I'm infuriating? You're the one making a big deal out of nothing," a second voice says. The two people make their way to us, revealing themselves to be Ayako and Takigawa.

"Monk!" I say, running up to Takigawa and hugging him.

"How's my favorite little lady doing?" Monk says, giving me a pat on the head. "Sorry it took me so long to answer your text. My band and I were on tour."

"You weren't cheating on me were you sweetie?" Yasu asks affectionately.

"How could I cheat on you babe?" Monk says with a chirpy grin.

They laugh as Monk and Ayako take a seat on the couch across from us, apparently over what they were arguing about. I offer to make tea.

"So this is the monk," Gene's voice says from the other room. I rush over with the tea and find my guide hovering around Monk, observing him from all sides as Monk and Yasu joke about this and that.

"Would you stop doing that? It's freaking me out," I say to him; I hate watching someone who looks just like Naru, but has a glowing problem, float around the room.

"I'm sorry Mai, is what we're talking about bothering you?" Monk says; confusion clearly written across his face.

"Don't worry about her, she's just talking to her new boyfriend," Ayako jokes.

"Yeah, he's completely taken over her life," Yasu adds.

"Mai, I know I'm attractive but I'm deceased. It's time to move on," Gene says, folding his arms and mimicking Yasuhara, who is nodding his head disapprovingly.

"Would you three cut it out? I'm not dating Gene," I say loudly.

"Gene?" Monk says. "Like Naru's brother?" Everyone nods. "Wait, he's here in the room?"

"Yea, he's standing right next to you," I say, pointing a little to the right of Monk's head. He looks to the left, as if expecting to see something, but doesn't. I'm the only one who can see Gene.

"Why is he here?" Monk asks.

"He's my spirit guide," is all I could think to say.

The door chimes, signaling the presence of another person. We wait eagerly to see if we would be greeting a customer, but instead Masako enters the room.

"Why hello—" she starts to say but then her head turns to look at Gene. "I sense a spirit." She walks closer to him, her head raised up and her eyes gazing widely as she searches. "He doesn't seem harmful but it's hard for me to make out his presence. I feel like I've met this spirit before."

"That's because he's Naru's brother," Ayako says.

"Naru's brother?" Masako says, trying to see Gene more clearly.

"She can't see me as well as you because I've leveled myself to your vibrations so I'm off kilter to other spirits," Gene says after reading my expression. "She also can't make out what I'm saying although she can hear me a little."

"He's speaking to you Mai?" Masako asks me.

"Yes, he's my guide now," I say hesitantly. I know she and I are rivals for Naru but I don't know how she feels about Gene.

"Very well. Since it appears that Naru isn't back yet I'll be on my way. I only stopped by because I finally had some free time from work." Masako turns to leave but Madoka flys out of Naru's office, catching her attention.

"Wait, Hara-san, I just got a case and I'd love your help," Madoka says.

After a brief explanation where Madoka tells us she has made a call in Naru's office, and then explains the rough details of the case, we find ourselves driving to our next client. The ride is only slightly cramped… Madoka is driving again while Monk sits shot gun. I'm forced to sit in between Masako and Ayako. Yasu decided to stay back and focus on his homework; saying that if we need him to research something we can give him a call.

During the ride, Masako ignores everyone, more than likely because she is upset that I have my own exclusive spirit guide who just so happens to be Gene. Ayako and Monk are preoccupied with their cell phones, and Madoka is concentrating on the road. I sigh and pull out my head phones, settling on listening to music until we arrived.

A drop of water plopped onto metal.

Another drop and I realize I'm standing in front of an old, rusty sink; grimly turning the faucet knob, trying to stop the drip.

The water beads down to the metal again and my hand quivers, trembling as I clench the knob tighter and turn it as hard as I can. It won't move though. I have tightened it as much as I could.

Metal dings as another drop of water falls.

The door opens to my right and a man walks into the house.

My breath catches.

"You can do this Hisoka," I whisper to myself. I turn gracefully to a group of kitchen knives stuck within a wooden block, carefully pulling out the largest one. With a cautious step, my sock moving soundlessly across the tatami, I move towards the hallway, heading for the man in the other room.

"Dear," I say to his turned back. He's facing away from me.

"What is that in your hand Hisoka?" He says too humbly for my liking. He's caught site of my knife from the mirror hanging on the wall. I turn my gaze from his back to the mirror so that I can indirectly look him in the eye. I gasp as I realize he, too, is wielding a knife.

"My dear Hisoka, I see that you don't want to go the easy way," my husband says to me, turning around so we can face each other.

Run to him or run to the door? Those are my decisions, but I'm a fighting woman filled with honor. I take my stride and rush to him proudly.

I'm smacked in the face. There's no way I could have won this and as the pain of metal entering into my stomach overwhelms me, I declare that this is not the end. He stands from my side and I double over in pain, fighting to scream out as I yank the blade from my side, taking some innards out with it.

"This is not the end, dear, I'll come for you even after death," I yell at the top of my lungs while my blood pools out of my body and stains the floor I lay upon.

"Mai? Are you okay?" _A voice is whispering to me, but who's Mai?_ "We're here Mai." _Oh right, I'm Mai._ As I wake up I realize that I've been clutching my side; but the pain is gone now.

"I'm going to take a few minutes to write in my log," I tell the group as we pull up to our newest client; there's no way I want to forget this dream, then again, I don't think I could even if I wanted to.

I hurry over to the others once I've logged the dream into my journal; dream number nine, and the first important one since the dreams I had during our previous case.

This case is taking place within a large hotel, which is now temporarily closed. We entered the hotel and are escorted to a large sitting room where we are served tea and joined by five other people. The others include an old woman who introduces herself as the Okami, or owner of the inn. Her youngest daughter, Kazumi, is sitting to her right and is in her late thirties; Kazumi's daughter, Kazuko, sits on the other side of Kazumi and is a year younger than me. On Okami's left is her daughter-in-law Yasuko, who is in her early thirties, and Yasuko's son, Kazuhiko, who is eight, sits beside her.

"We are honored that you would come and help us," Okami says.

"Not at all, this is what we do," Madoka says.

"Man this is awesome," Monk whispers to me. "Besides that little boy, I'm the only guy here."

"Pervert," I whisper back snidely.

"Takigawa-san is my kind of man," Gene says from my side as he and Monk eye-balled the women in the room.

"_Not you too?"_ I mentally yell at him. His smile simply grows wider as the women cough awkwardly from Monk's gawking, obviously having heard what he said.

"My colleague does bring up an interesting point. Why aren't there men here?" Ayako says, bringing attention back to the seriousness of the case.

"There is a string of strange phenomenon occurring within the hotel," Kazumi says. "It's not unusual for our female guests to simply vanish from the hotel. At first we thought that they were leaving earlier than expected, so that they wouldn't have to pay, but then more and more women began to do it, even if their families were still here within the inn."

"Some of them would come wandering back from within the surrounding forest, not knowing how they turned up there," Kazuko adds. "We've even received calls from women that found themselves in the nearby city, asking for a ride back to the inn so they could retrieve their belongings."

"Recently though, a lot of the woman refuse to take back their belongings and request that someone goes to them for payment so they don't have to return to the inn," Okami says.

"Then there's the men," Yasuko begins to say. "The curse or haunting appears to affect the men the most. Generally, there aren't a lot of men who work here. I, myself, live with my husband in the city and only come here to work; but our male guests are always more prone to… accidents."

"Accidents?" Monk says, finally taking the case seriously. We are all worried about the women supposedly being _spirited away_, but they also seemed to turn up unharmed so it is the least of our problems.

"Yes," Yasuko says. "It starts off small. The male guests notice that they trip and stumble a little more than normal. If they're here for nearly a week then they begin to notice that there's a force shoving them into walls. Almost two weeks and the force is trying to push them down the stairs."

"Or out of a window," Kazuko says.

"Kazuko," her mother reprimands.

"We need to tell them about these things," Kazuko says.

"But what if they decide not to help us," Kazumi says.

"Your daughter is right. More information will help us solve the case," I say; trying to reassure Kazumi.

"Besides, this isn't going to be the first case where our lives were at risk," Ayako says.

"You mean just _my_ life right? Because I don't see any threats to you _women_," Monk says, almost spitefully.

"So what happened with the window?" Madoka says, redirecting the attention.

"A man had stayed with us for a month. He was admiring the view from his room's window when the force shoved him out. He didn't die but he was severely injured," Kazuko says.

"Has anyone died?" Madoka asks.

The girls looked amongst one another before Okami speaks. "A man did recently die. That's why we called you here and closed down the inn. It seems the longer they're here the greater the chance that something terrible will happen. This man was an unusual case. He was here on and off for four months, hoping that by leaving periodically he could avoid any accidents. We all thought that his method was working, but on the first night of his most recent return, he drowned in the bath."

"What?" Ayako gasps and the rest of us freeze with shock.

"And it wasn't suicide?" I ask.

The innkeepers look down, mortified by the travesties occurring within their inn.

"You may be wondering why my son is here," Yasuko says, patting Kazuhiko atop the head. "He witnessed the man's death so we felt it best to have him here if you wanted to ask any difficult questions that only he, as a witness, can answer."

"The only thing that we need to know for now, is if the man put up a struggle as he drowned," Madoka says. Out of our group, she is the only one who seems to be undisturbed by the events happening here.

"He was thrashing around in the water and then suddenly stopped moving," Kazuhiko says quietly. He shies away behind his mother as if he's ashamed at what he saw.

"And are there any specific areas that the accidents have been occurring?" Madoka says.

"Just the upstairs hallway," Okami says. "The accidents happen everywhere, but since that's the main hallway for guests to find their rooms; we hear the most complaints of them tripping or being pushed into the walls there."

"That's also the hallway that connects to the balcony where the one guest was shoved down the stairs," Kazuko adds.

There's nothing else that the inn keepers can tell us so we start to set up our cameras and declare which room will be our base. Madoka asks Masako to search the inn for the room with the strongest spiritual presence; we'd be setting our thermal camera there. The hallway on the second floor receives the regular camera. Monk situates the televisions and switch board inside of the room where the man had been shoved out the window; he also claimed that room as his own for the stay.

"Aren't you worried that the spirit will try to shove you out of the window too?" Ayako asks while she, Monk, and I plug in the equipment.

"Why would I be? I'm a spiritualist. I can defend myself," Monk says smugly.

"He's being far too arrogant. Even I am worried about the woman's animosity towards men," Gene says to me. I've seen Monk hold his own on numerous occasions, but when Gene tells me this I can't help but worry. Maybe it's because of how serious he sounds or the solemn look on his face.

"The woman?" I say to Gene.

"What woman?" Monk asks.

"Gene said that there's a woman here with a strong _animosity_ towards men," I say.

"There is a presence of a woman," Masako says, entering the room after Madoka. "The woman is angry and in pain, looking for something. She's filled with feelings of betrayal and a longing for vengeance. Her spirit dominates a small closet that connects to the dining hall downstairs." Masako's eyes look like they are about to tear up as she analyzes the spirit. Then her expression changes to concern and she looks at Gene. "You would be wise to make yourself scarce."

"I may take the medium's advice," Gene says to me. "I'll have to change my vibrations so that the spirit can't sense me. I'll see you in your dreams Mai." His appearance becomes fuzzy, as if he's standing on the other side of a static-filled TV screen, and then he vanishes.

"He's gone," I say, still shocked by Gene's comings and goings.

"He's smart," Masako says.

"He's always been smart," Madoka says and I almost feel like I can hear a hint of sorrow in her voice. She hands Monk the thermal camera so that he can position it in front of the closet.

"I think I'll go with you," Masako says. "I'd like to try and grasp what affect your presence may have on her." Monk nods his head and the two of them leave the room.

For the rest of the day Madoka stays in the base, typing away feverishly at her lap top; she's normally so carefree that I guess I overlooked the fact that she really is a hard worker. Since everyone on the team is playing their part, I decide that I'll interview the inn workers in hopes of learning more about the attacks and victims. _I have to be of use somehow._

After a few hours, dinner is ready and we are summoned to the dining hall beside the room that houses the haunted closet. The only progress I have been able to make is learning that children are generally unharmed during their stay at the inn.

"The woman has become very active. Her hostility is peaking," Masako mutters from behind her kimono's sleeve. The aura in the room is overwhelming to the point that everyone can sense it; chills shivering up our spines spontaneously.

"I can't believe one spirit could hate me this much," Monk says. His voice is mixed with fear and egotism so I wonder if he's nervous but trying to hide it.

"It's not just you. The woman is aware of Gene's presence as well," Masako says. She's acting as cool and reserved as ever, appearing expressionless during our discussion.

The older inn keepers don't question what we're talking about; feeling it's safer to let us converse alone.

"Who's Gene-san?" Kazuko asks me, whispering into my ear.

I'm not sure how to answer, so I whisper back the truth, "He's my boss's dead twin brother."

Her eyes widen and she chances a glance at Madoka while I decide that it would probably just confuse her more if I tried to correct her assumption.

We change topics so that we can chat with Okami and her family more easily. Kazuko overwhelms me with different questions about psychics and spirits and I can tell she's planning on telling her friends at school about the ghost hunters who stayed at her family's inn. I can't blame her; I've told my friends about a few of our cases. I've even told Kuroda about some of them.

Monk and Ayako chat with Kazumi and Yasuko. The two older women tease Ayako by asking her if Monk is her boyfriend and Monk embarrasses her by telling them 'yes.' Kazuko and I stifled our voices as we tried not to laugh as Ayako fight with herself internally, trying to decide if she should agree with Monk or admit that she didn't have a boyfriend.

On the far side of the table, Masako sits quietly, eating and sipping tea while Kazuhiko shyly poked at her kimono. It's easy to see that she's on edge, trying to ignore the boy and remain composed. She likes children though, so I wondered if she secretly wants to tease him but feels she will scare him off with her unapproachable air.

In the center of the table, Madoka and Okami speak of business and boring things. Working so closely with Madoka is really opening my eyes to what kind of person she actually is Even though she's carefree and fun and easygoing, completely different then Naru, she's also very smart and hardworking, quick witted, and diligent. A part of me wonders if her happy-go-lucky nature is a mask she wears to hide secrets. I've noticed similarities between her and Naru and I can only imagine that there's a lot more hidden within her mind then she lets on.

As I think of my new discoveries about Madoka, I note the discoveries I've had about Gene. In the past, when my contact with him was limited to my dreams, he always seemed sweet and mysterious. _My dream Naru_. But the situations I met him in always called for his help and aid. He focused on helping me and he was caught up in his desperation to contact Naru. Now that his body has been found and his unfinished business is… finished… he's willing to roam around freely and be himself. I never realized he would tease me as much as he does or that he would actual be the kind who would have openly pursued girls. I guess I thought he'd just be a nicer Naru, but of course they're two different people.

"Monk, look out," Ayako yells. There's a crash and I jump back to the present as I realize a painting that had been hanging on the wall is now lying atop of the table, part of it dangling off the side. It has fallen right onto the spot where Monk was sitting, but he has moved out of the way in time and wasn't hit.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"Yeah, it was just a painting. It wouldn't have done a lot of harm even if it had hit me," Monk says. We all take a heavy breath before deciding it's time for bed. Dinner is over anyway.

As I lay in my comfy hotel bed, I wonder if I'll see Gene in my dreams like he promised, and for once I actually don't care if I do. Before, I always looked forward to seeing Naru in my dreams, awaiting his smiling face. Now that I see Gene almost all the time, the dream isn't as impressive. Even though I've missed him in the back of my heart, for the first time, I wish Naru was here. With that thought in mind I drift to sleep.

"Akane?" The words leave my lips with a twitch, almost inaudible. "Akane?" I say it again and again. I don't want to believe it. My breathing turns ragged as my lungs try desperately to collect oxygen. This can't be happening.

A young girl, with a face that resembles my own, sits still within a pool of blood, her back resting against a wall, and her white kimono stained a dark, murky shade of red. I kneel before the child, the warm crimson liquid seeping into the fabric of my own kimono. With slight hesitation, I pull her into my lap, but she has now grown cold and her body slowly grows stiffer. After I take in one last, long breath of air, I scream my daughter's name out at the top of my lungs, wondering why on earth the gods would curse my family as they have.

In the morning, I awake heavily. My head pounding from the dream I had. I struggle to get out of bed, and inform the others of my dream as I write it in my log. Masako ignores me a little more than usual today and I figure she's jealous that I had such an informative vision. I wish she wouldn't be. No one should ever have dreams like these. As I try to rest with a few morning catnaps, Masako helps Ayako put up protective charms, while Monk calls Yasu and asks him to try and find information about a woman whose child was murdered inside of the hotel.

"That spirit is definitely a bother," Ayako says as we meet for lunch; this time choosing to eat in the sitting room, further away from the spirit.

"How so?" Monk asks.

"She kept pulling off the charms when we stuck them around the property," Masako says.

"You don't just _stick_ on a charm," Ayako snaps defensively.

"Wait. Spirits can pull the charms off?" I ask.

"Generally, no, but it can happen on occasion," Ayako clarifies. "In this spirits case, her intent clashes with my charms. The charms I've set up are made to ward her away and protect everyone within the hotel from her wrath, but she's so focused on Monk that the charms, which are distributing their power to protect everyone, can't hold up to her strength."

"I see…" I say as I try to wrap my head around Ayako's explanation.

Monk appears disgruntled by the news. "So what's that mean?"

"It means that I'll have to create new charms that focus solely on protecting you," Ayako says.

"Won't everyone else will be at risk though?" Monk says.

We sit in silence as we contemplated what the best course of action will be. Shield Monk, who is the spirit's main target, but risk the wellness of everyone else? Or continue to make protective charms for everyone else, even though some of them are ineffective towards the spirit, thus risking Monk's well being?

"I think it's time I had a _talk_ with this spirit," Monk says, standing from the table and heading for his room to change into his traditional gowns in preparation for an exorcism.

"Mai, why don't I teach you a little about being a medium?" Masako says to me; it's the first she has spoken to me all day.

"Oh, uh, okay," I say and we walk to the dining hall together.

The dining hall is colder than the rest of the hotel and I feel an uncomfortable presence, like eyes are watching me from behind; thinking disturbing thoughts that involve my death.

"Do you recall being taught that telling ghost stories draws out low level spirits?" Masako asks as we try to make ourselves comfortable within the room.

"Yeah, the more stories you tell the more spirits you attract," I answer.

Masako smiles at me. "That's right. And then you know how that relates to things like using an Ouija board right?"

"Like when those kids attracted all of those spirits using Orikiri-sama," I say smugly.

"Correct. That game, Orikiri-sama, is a prime example as to why you shouldn't play games or use things like an Ouija board without experience. A lot of the time, children and teens, adults even, will be scolded for using these tools without proper practice. That's exactly what they are though, tools, and with an appropriate guide they can be used to contact the spirit world," Masako says.

I look around the room awkwardly. The conversation is getting long and the feeling is growing stronger, sending chills over my body and causing my hair to rise. "What does this have to do with being a medium though?"

"A medium is someone who can communicate with the dead. Things like Ouija boards and Orikiri-sama are objects people use to communicate with the dead. And excessive ghost stories and talks about spirits are some of the most basic steps to summoning a spirit.

"These are ways that beginners learn about spirits and begin to harness their powers, one small step at a time." She raises her kimono's sleeve to her lips. "From initial contact through ghost stories, leading to faulty communication with the use of objects like an Ouija board, brings the ultimate goal of turning into the very tool you seek to use, such as myself; someone who can communicate and call upon the dead easily with great practice."

'_Wow, someone's cocky_,' I think to myself. "So where do we start then?"

"With something simple. Ask her to show herself to you."

I hesitate, but Masako is looking at me with a dead serious gaze. _Alright then, I'll do it._ I turn towards the door of the closet. "Uh… Care to show yourself spirit?"

Masako stifles a laugh and my cheeks grow red.

"If this is some kind of joke to make me look silly…" I start to say.

"No Mai, it isn't," Masako says. "You're just funny. Go ahead and keep talking. It only seems silly because you can't see her and you doubt she's there. If we were talking and I left the room you'd still be comfortable talking to me from here right? And you speak with Gene-san regularly right? Think of it as the same thing. Ask her to make herself known."

"Okay," I say. "Spirit, if you're here, could you, I don't know; knock on the wall or something?"

It sounds like we're trapped amongst a heard of animals. The walls, floor, and ceiling begin to shake as heavy pounding starts to reverberate around us, lasting for several minutes.

"What is going on in here?" Monk yells, rushing into the room. The noise stops unexpectedly.

"I was testing Mai's abilities as a medium," Masako says.

"And?" Monk and I both ask with great interest.

"The potential is there. She's close to their wave length, but she still has doubt so it may take a while of training," Masako says.

I'm shocked. I didn't realize that I was skilled enough to become a medium. _But Masako's job is so confusing._ I like the little effort I have to put into my skills. All I need to do is sleep and the answers come to me… Even if my dreams are a little scary… scratch that, a lot scary.

We stand behind monk as he sits in front of the closet and begins his chant, his voice speeding up my heart as the atmosphere thickens and chills. My body warns me that danger is about to come.

The pounding begins again, but the majority of it is focused on the door separating Monk from the closet. Harder and faster. The door is shaking violently with each knock but Monk doesn't let up his chant.

A rush of cold air threatens to push me back as the closet door swings open violently, ripping off of the hinges, and for half a second I see her. A woman with long dark brown hair, her bangs dropping disheveled across her face, her kimono stained in blood and her face ghastly and pale. She shoots across the few feet to get to Monk with an ear piercing scream echoing from the heart of her throat. Then the half second is over, and while I hear the scream, all I see is Monk flying backwards towards me and Masako.

I leap to Monk's side, making sure he's okay while Masako races in front of us, her arms outstretched.

"Please stop this, he's a good person. He isn't the one who did this to you," Masako says declaratively. "I know you're in pain, but this man isn't the cause of that pain."

The room quickly turns normal as the spirit calms and leaves our presence. "Are you alright Monk?" I ask. He tries to sit up but I need to support him. Masako comes over to help me as I aid in pulling Monk to his feet.

Madoka and Ayako meet us at the foot of the stairs, huddled together with the inn keepers.

"What happened?" Madoka asks while Ayako stares at Monk with a sad and concerned expression.

Taking the circumstance into consideration, Monk begins untying his robes until he can reveal his bare chest to us. A little higher than his abdomen, and on the right side of his ribcage, is a large bruise from where the spirit shot through his body.

The inn keepers gasp and Okami decides that Yasuko should take Kazuko and Kazuhiko away for their safety.

"I want to stay and help if I can," Kazuko says defiantly. Kazuhiko clutches to his mother, scared and eager to leave the hotel.

"You will only be in the way," Kazumi says. "Your grandmother and I will be staying because she is the owner and I am the heir."

After a brief squabble, Kazuko finally agrees and the three of them leave us.

With our large group now fallen to six people, we eat our dinner quickly and awkwardly before heading upstairs. I don't like leaving Monk alone in his room after today's earlier events, but despite Madoka's insistence that he leaves the case he refuses to back down from the spirits threat.

I fear what will happen if I fall asleep but I know that my dreams may bring answers that could solve the case, so I allow myself to drift off to sleep.

"Mai. Open your eyes, Mai."

_Who's there? Wait… Is it?_

I open my eyes and find myself staring at Naru. "I haven't seen you in forever."

Naru frowns at me. "It's only been a day, Mai."

_A day?_ "Oh, no, I'm sorry Gene." I say loudly as my face reddens from embarrassment. I've mistaken them again. And it's in a dream even. I notice we're in the familiar glowing cloud.

"It's okay. Right now though, I need you to remember where you are."

"I'm in a cloud."

He sighs. "I mean your body."

"Oh, that's at the hotel." As I say it the cloud disperses unnaturally, it's vapors pulling away from me on all sides until I see my body laying asleep on the bed. "It's me?"

"I tried to wake you but you ended up performing astral projection by mistake," Gene says.

"Why did you want to wake me?" I say, wondering how I was able to project myself so easily. He points at Ayako's bed and I notice she's missing. "Maybe she's in the bathroom?" He shakes his head and I remember Kazumi's words.

'_It's not unusual for our female guests to simply vanish from the hotel.'_

I dash out of the room with Gene calling out to me. "Mai! You should wake up first." There's no time for that though. I need to know if she was really spirited away or if maybe she was trying to fight the spirit. As I race down the hallway I stop cold in my tracks.

Monk's door is wide open and he's performing a warding spell. The spirit is standing before him.

"_What do I do?"_

"Get Ayako and then help Takigawa-san," Gene says. "He can defend himself for a while but we don't know where _she_ is. I'll try to help him if I can."

I nod my head and continue down the stairs. With my soul wandering around in its state of astral projection I'm able to check the rooms within a matter of minutes, but I still can't find her.

'_Some of them would come wandering back from within the surrounding forest, not knowing how they turned up there.'_

I dash for the front door and glide through the air, racing towards the small forest that separates the hotel from the main city. At the base of the forest I see her, entering into the woods in a deep trance. My hands reach out to her, trying to grab her shoulders and shake her out of her daze, but I fall through her. She can't even hear my voice when I call out to her so I decide it would be best to wake up for real.

I close my eyes and think of my body, where it's located, how it's laying, and when I open them again I'm floating above it. After allowing myself to sink back into my flesh I wake up and then grab Masako's attention.

She listens intently as I explain what happened and the two of us run out of the hotel and to the forest, looking for Ayako again. I hope Monk is alright and that he hasn't done anything stupid.

"Ayako," I yell as soon as we find her body. She's still walking to the heart of the forest. "Ayako!" Masako and I grab her and shake her roughly until she comes to.

"If what you're saying is true, and the spirit was in Takigawa-san's room, then I can't explain why Matsuzaki-san was pulled away like this," Masako says as we walk back to the hotel briskly.

"What do you mean?" I say.

"I could sense the spirit around her, yet I couldn't. I'm not sure what's going on."

We decide to throw the explanation into the wind; that was something Naru was good for but he isn't here. Within ten minutes we were back at the hotel being greeted by Madoka, Okami, and Kazumi.

"What's going on?" Kazumi asks as we approach the hotel's entrance.

"Ayako was in a trance and being led through the forest," I say.

"Are you okay?" Madoka says to her. She nods yes, still taken aback by the trance. "Monk has been taken."

"What?" we gasp in shock.

"I don't know where he's gone but he isn't here anymore. He's too proud to run away in the middle of the night so I can only figure that he's been taken by the spirit herself," Madoka says.

"Where is she, Masako? Where's the spirit?" I ask louder and more frantic then I should have.

She stumbles backwards a little, her eyes off set as she tries to force concentration. "I-I don't know, I can't sense her anymore, I just know they're in the house…"

"Mai, calm down, if she can't sense her then she can't sense her," Ayako says but I can tell she's worried too.

"I know. I'm sorry." I leave them standing at the doorway and rush back to our room to do the only thing I think I can do. After several deep breaths I manage to calm down and lay on the bed, hoping that sleep will over take me. My adrenaline is pumping through my veins though and I know it's impossible. "Gene," I say and to my disbelief he appears before me. My head shoots off of the pillow as I sit up. "Where is he?"

"In that closet. I'll show you," Gene says. We head back downstairs and he explains that Monk has created a protective barrier around himself.

We enter the dining hall and walk to the closet; it's door still laying a few feet to the side on the floor. I gulp as we near it, feeling a black, lusting energy enveloping the entrance. We enter the closet and Gene points to a large hole in the wall, big enough for a grown man to crawl through. My legs slip through the hole first before I pull the rest of my body through and we make our way to the eye of the storm; heading down a broken and cracked cement staircase covered by dust and cobwebs.

Once the staircase leveled into a stable floor I noticed candlelight encircling a mass that could only be Monk.

"Mai," Monk yells at me. "Get out of here, it isn't safe."

"Shut up! Why are you down here?" I yell back. "Did you really think you could exorcise the spirit after what she did earlier?" I've walked closer to Monk by now but I'm still standing outside of his spiritual shield.

"I'm not stupid enough to pick a fight with an enemy who's stronger than me," Monk says. "I was woken up by a phone call from Yasu. He said he was able to find reports of a woman who had lived here. Apparently she came home to find her child murdered and suspected it was her husband's doing. She went after him for revenge but he killed her first and then later told the authorities that it was self defense so he wasn't prosecuted."

The temperature in the room, which is already nippy, drops. My head moves slightly as I turn and notice the woman standing across the room.

"Hurry Mai, come into my barrier. She appeared just like this, while Yasu was explaining everything, and then attacked me," Monk says frantically. I can tell he's struggling with the idea of staying within his barrier or rushing over to protect me.

I couldn't bring myself to do it though. _This spirit… she's so… stupid._ All of a sudden I'm noticing similarities between this case and another one. A case where a woman was possessing a doll as she tried to find her daughter.

"Are you really that stupid?" I yell as my heart overpowers my brain and my feelings poor out uncontrollably.

"Don't provoke her, Mai," I hear both Monk and Gene say. The candles flicker as I anger her and the boys watch me frightened.

"You know you're daughter is dead. You saw her. Held her blood stained body in your arms and begged the gods to tell you why, and yet instead of going to her you'd rather try to gain vengeance on a man who's probably dead by now too?" Tears are pouring from my eyes. Why do spirits have to be so emotionally bound to one ideal? Why do they have to be tormented by their unmasked emotions like this?

The candles flames are dancing faster, threatening to blow out, but I can tell she's listening to me. She's so focused on her daughter that she's hanging onto my every word. I understand why she's doing this now. I know why she's been sending women out of the hotel. She's trying to protect them from the men here, like she hoped she could have done for her daughter.

"I'm sure Akane-chan misses you. In fact I'm positive she does," my heart is pounding in my ears. "Quit wasting your time trying to kill a dead man and reunite yourself with you daughter!"

The woman flies at me, and I brace myself by throwing my arms in front of my body, but just as I expect impact she stops. My arms lower as I look at her and realize she's crying. The heavy mood that had filled the room begins to lift as the spirit starts to shine a gold color. She nods her head to me and rises towards the ceiling before vanishing into gold light.

"What happened?" I ask as Monk takes down his barrier and walks over to me and the floating Gene.

"You cleansed her," Monk says.

"Huh?" I gasp and turn to Gene who nods to me, a perplexed look on his face as well. The three of us are in awe that my tantrum worked in exorcising a spirit.

Back at Monk's room, we tell the others what happened and then ask Masako for her spirit expertise but she's at a loss for words. Before we head to bed I'm asked how I knew the daughter's name. I tell them about the dream I had and how I even wrote it down in the log. I had forgotten the daughter's name but yelling at the spirit caused me to remember it.

As I prepare to sleep, Madoka decides that since it's already early morning, and we're all awake anyway, we should pack up now and head home. I try to complain but everyone else seems to agree that sleeping at our own homes would be nice. Even Okami and Kazumi think that sleeping away from the hotel for the night would be nice.

"So, do you have any idea how I could have cleansed the spirit?" I ask Gene as I load a camera into the back of the car.

"I've been thinking about it and I've concluded that, despite the fact you were yelling at her, because your words were coming from your heart they were still able to have an effect on her," Gene says with a chuckle.

"I think I can live with that explanation," I say as I climb into the car; proclaiming a window seat for myself so that I won't be stuck in the middle again. _I've left the others with the rest of the work, but hey, I exorcised a spirit so I deserve a break, right?_ I lean onto the window and nod off to sleep, ready to relax after an exhaustive case.

The door shuts to my side and I assume Masako or Ayako has climbed into the car with me. I ignore them, hoping that they won't wake me from my slumber, but a hand clenches my shoulder.

"Shhh, Akane, don't make a sound," a voice whispers into my ear. My eyes open quickly and I look to the side in time to see a large man towering over me; a man I thought I could trust. Before I can scream, the blade in his hand digs across my throat, cutting my vocal cords. Then he drives it into my stomach, draining me of my blood.

He leaves the room and I stumble to the ground, making my way to a wall. I lean across it.

'_Mama will be here soon…'_ I think as I rest my eyes for a minute.

When I open my eyes again I'm glowing and pretty. My kimono is pure white and dances around me as I float within a strange illuminated space.

"Mama?" I say, and to my delight I hear her calling my name. I look in the direction of her voice and I see my mother gliding to me. She's glowing and pretty as well. I wrap my arms around her neck as she pulls me in for a hug.

Even though I only saw her just the other day I can't help feeling that it's been a lot longer than that.

"Mai, we're here."

I look up and realize that we're parked outside of the SPR office. Then I notice that my cheeks are wet. My hand brushes the tears away quickly as I look around for my dream log. I hoped I was done having dreams that related to this case, but I'm happy to know that in the end they really did find each other again.

**AN: How's the story? Thoughts? Opinions? Reviews? From 1 to 9 tails (9 being the best) what would you give it? Heh heh you may think I'm making a Naruto reference but foxes don't have to be limited to Naruto do they? There are a few in pokemon and digimon at least. I'm tired and being silly now so good night.**

**Fast Facts #2: Hisoka (** 密 **) means "cautious, reserved"** **and Akane (** 茜 **) means "brilliant red" **

**Fast Facts #3: Kazumi ( **和美**) means "harmonious beauty" and Kazuko** **( **和子**) means "child of harmony" **

**Fast Facts #4: Yasuko ( **康子**) "child of peace" and Kazuhiko** **( **和彦**) means "harmonious boy" **


	3. GHOST ON A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this and I'm not trying to sell any of it. **

**AN: It was a dark and stormy night, when a stranger walked by. I said "tell me a story, Stranger," and this is what he told: (reread beginning of AN)**

PERSONAL CASE: GHOST ON A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT

No, our time wasn't disheartened.

"Awe man, why does it have to be raining?" I whine as I run home in the dark. Despite the fact that today has been another case-less day for SPR, I ended up staying late to help Madoka. Naru and Lin are due to arrive in just a few days so we were making some last minute preparations for their return.

"Believe me, Mai," Madoka had said as we swept, vacuumed, and cleaned the walls, "Naru will probably still be a grouch when he gets back, but he'll be less of a grouch if he can't find anything to complain about."

I knew she was right, and I didn't want to leave her cleaning alone, so I stayed longer than normal.

And now here I am, running frantically through the rain as I try to get home before I've become completely soaked. Thunder booms overhead and I watch lightning dance and crackle across the sky.

"Isn't that forest a shortcut?" Gene asks me, materializing at my side. I stop before the forest, which is really just a large running park filled with trees.

"Well yeah, but I heard that it's haunted," I mumble. The coverage from the trees might lessen my contact with the rain though.

"Are you afraid?" Gene says while chuckling. I turn my head away from him, feeling my cheeks heating up in a blush. "Why are you afraid of a haunted park? You deal with spirits all the time."

"But I'm not alone normally," I argue.

"We're alone and you're not afraid of me," he says. It's true, Gene's a ghost and I'm fine around him, and I suppose I have run into a handful of other spirits who haven't tried to kill me.

"Oh alright," I say defeated and I enter into the park, the rain slowing its onslaught as I walk beneath the pitiful forest's canopy.

Despite the many leaves blocking the rain, and the large trunks shielding me from the wind, I begin to shiver slightly as the night air continues to cool. It's darker within the park and I fumble across the misshapen pathway until I trip all together and fall into a puddle of mud.

"Are you okay, Mai?" Gene asks as he crouches beside me.

"I'm fine." I stand up shakily, my clothes and hair drenched in dirty water.

"After a fall like that you should really sit down. Why don't you come and join me?" I look over to the new voice that has joined us and find a man sitting on a park bench. He's much older than I am, taller too, but he seems weak and his hair is shaggy. His clothes are old fashioned as well.

I hesitate for a moment, but my legs really do hurt, and the wind was knocked out of me during the fall. After silent deliberation I decide to sit next to him. "So what brings you into the forest at this time of night?"

"I'm always in the forest," the man says. "I've lost my way and I don't think I'll ever find my way out."

'_Weird. The entrance to the park is just a ten minute walk down the path I'm traveling on,'_ I think to myself but I decide to hold my tongue; maybe he's just drunk.

"I wish I could find the town though, not that it would matter. I don't have a family waiting for me anymore," he says.

"Anymore?" I say. "What happened?"

"I used to have a beautiful wife and three kids, but one day I arrived home to police informing me that my wife had crashed the car. She and my children had died in the accident," He looks down and I notice him wring his hands nervously. "I was distraught and came to the park to think, but it was a stormy night just like this one. While looking down into a trench, the earth I was standing on subsided from the rain and I fell. After pulling myself back onto the land I found that I wasn't able to leave the forest."

I realize he isn't lost and that he probably can't bring himself to leave the forest because he's depressed about his family's death, which is understandable. "But is this really how they'd want you to live?"

He looks at me with a funny expression and I realize I've said that last part out loud.

"B-b-basically," I say, fumbling over my words as I construct my reasoning into a proper sentence. "If your family is as sweet and caring as you make them out to be, then instead of moping around you should go out and try to make the most of your life while you still have it to live. It probably pains them to watch you feel so miserably while they're waiting patiently for you to join them. Make the most of your life while you've got it because your loved ones will be there to meet you when it's your time to go."

I notice him smile before a large burst of wind escapes the hold of the trees and rushes past us. As it whips by I clutch my sides and shiver; the cold biting painfully into my arms and legs.

"It's freezing," I say as my teeth chatter.

"Thank-you for your kind words," the man says. For a second I feel a small amount of warmth coming from him and I wonder if he's brought out a match or lighter. I look over at him to see but he's gone.

My eyes grow wide and my mouth drops an inch while I hear Gene's obnoxious laughter in the background.

"I can't believe that you didn't realize you were talking to the spirit who haunted this forest the whole time," he says snidely.

"Shut up Eugene! How was I supposed to know?" I say bitterly.

"He was glowing just like I am, duh," Gene says. "Or did you not notice that you could see him clear as day despite how dark it is right now?"

I stand up from the bench and continue home, tired of the cold, tired of the rain, and tired of the teasing. "Where'd he go anyway?"

"You cleansed him," Gene says with a smirk.

"What? Another one? How?" I ask frantically. _What's up with all these exorcisms I've been performing? Okay, sure it's only been two, but that's still two more than I'm used to. _He pats me on the head and asks how I think I did it. "Well, when he and I were talking, an image of a woman and three children came into my mind, and I felt an insurmountable feeling of love and patience. So I just told him what I felt."

"I think Hara-san is right. You may in fact have the makings to be a medium," Gene says as we near the edge of the park.

Just a few more minutes and I'll be home.

**AN: This is a short filler chapter! I wish more chapters were this short but alas, the story doesn't… Darn story making me write out long chapters :C Read and review! It encourages the longer chaps! :D**


	4. A POLTERGEIST IN THE HOUSE?

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this and I'm not trying to sell any of it.**

**AN: I don't know why but for whatever reason, while typing this, I wanted to call Katashi, Kachiro… weird…**

CASE 3: A POLTERGEIST IN THE HOUSE!?

_Fate just finds ways to kid_

_Us into believing in things…_

"Wait… What do you mean you're not coming with us?" I ask Madoka one morning. Monk, Ayako, Yasuhara, and I have just finished loading Monk's car with our equipment.

"I'm sorry," Madoka says with a weak smile on her face. "Did I forget to mention that part yesterday when I was telling you about the case?"

I stare at her flabbergasted. "Yes. You did." _This woman… Sheesh!_

And with that we are shooed away to a case we have very little information about.

"So what was her reason for not coming again?" Ayako asks as we drive cross country to a small town near the sea.

"Who? Hara-san or Madoka-san?" Yasuhara says.

"Both I guess," Ayako says.

"Masako-san said she had to work and couldn't take any time off to help," Monk says.

"And Naru and Lin are supposed to arrive any day now so Madoka wants to be at the office to greet them," I say as I remember Madoka's excuse.

"So who's going to be our leader now that Madoka won't be joining us?" Ayako asks.

"Me obviously," Monk says; looking at her, scrutinizing. "I am the oldest after all."

"Eyes on the road. And besides, taking Naru into consideration, I highly doubt age matters," Ayako says.

"Yeah, Mai could always be the leader," Yasu says.

"Oh no! I'm much happier letting Monk be the leader," I say. Everyone laughs and we agree that Monk will be the one in charge for this mission. With that decision made, we spend the next few hours wondering what kind of case Madoka had accepted for us.

"This place is adorable," I say as we pulled up to the quaint house. It's of average size compared to some of the other houses we have investigated. I can see a few windows upstairs for bedrooms and then a couple downstairs for a living room a kitchen; also what looks to be an office.

A man comes outside to greet us as we clamber out of Monk's car. "You must be the ghost hunters of Shibuya Psychic Research," he says, bowing to us and leading us back into his house for a quick briefing on what we're going to be dealing with. "Kei! Katashi-kun!" He says, calling to his family who quickly joined us in the kitchen; sitting around the kitchen table. We join them and soon notice that there is an extra seat.

"My name is Ken, this is my wife Kei, and our son Katashi-kun," Ken says with a sheepish grin on his face. "The empty chair is reserved for our daughter, Kamiko-chan."

The air in the room fizzles from a heavy weight that makes me feel like I'm suffocating. Ken seems happy for us to be here or is that just a guise? The family is staring amenably at the empty chair and I know instantly that the case involves their daughter. Intuition isn't needed for me to grasp the fact; it's written clearly on their faces.

"How old was she when she…" I ask hesitantly.

The others on my team aren't shocked by my question; it's easy for them to tell too.

"She was nine," Kei says with a shudder. "It's only been a few months so we haven't really moved on."

"And the fact that she hasn't either must make the grieving stage difficult," Monk says with a contemplating look etched across his face.

The family simply nod their heads in agreement.

"So what exactly is the problem here?" Ayako says. Her tone is a harsher than necessary but I think she realized because she the next thing she says is, "What has the spirit been doing that is destructive or causing you to feel the need to have it exorcised?" I feel her parents' medical influence is showing in the way she talks; referring to Kamiko as 'the spirit' and 'it'.

"She doesn't do a lot of things. Doors will open and close on their own accord, the lights flicker on and off, some occasional knocking, and we've heard her giggling," Kei says.

"I see," Monk says. He gives us a quick look and, while I'm not sure Yasu caught his suggestion, I'm sure Ayako had. But was it possible? "Well if you wouldn't mind giving us a quick tour we'd love to get started."

Ken obliged and we are given a short tour. Sure enough there was a downstairs office, which we decide to use as our base. There are only two spare bedrooms upstairs and the boys are given the guest room while Ayako and I are given the only other vacant room, Kamiko's room. Ken and Katashi help us move our stuff into the office while Kei starts dinner.

"We're going to go over the briefing and see where we should start," Ayako explains after we had set everything up within the small room. _It's a good thing we didn't bring much._

"Sounds great. I'm going to be outside working so if you need anything you can expect to find me there, or Kei will be in the kitchen if you need her." Ken turns to his son. "And you'll be in your room doing your homework."

Katashi doesn't say anything while his father beams a blinding smile at him. A smile that says "talk back to me in front of our guests and you'll be sorry." The two of them turn and leave the room; Katashi appearing beyond miserable.

"So where are we going to start?" Yasu asks. He's smiling at the discomfort we feel from being squashed within the office. It's barely big enough for two people and the desk that's already here, but there are four of us and we have a few computers to view our footage on.

"Not sure…" Monk says. He hesitates for a second but then ultimately decides to sit on top of the desk.

"To be honest…" Ayako continues.

"We think it's not a spirit at all," I finish.

"What do you mean?" Yasu asks. He may be smart but there are still a few things that he needs to learn about spirits. I'm sure he looks to as much as he can on his free time, but college doesn't give him a lot of that.

"Poltergeist," Monk says. "Lights flickering, doors opening and closing, knocking, voices…"

"That's already four of the nine criteria," I say.

"But their daughter just died. Is she not the culprit then?" Yasu asks.

"Obviously we're wondering about that too," Ayako says smartly. "At the same time though, the stress of her death could be the cause."

Ayako and Yasu continue standing around the room while I check the monitors and equipment that take up the majority of the small amount of space that hadn't been occupied before we got here. One of the cameras, the thermo graphic one, is positioned in Kamiko's room and I'm somewhat anxious about the results we'll be getting tomorrow. I don't like the idea of finding a report in the morning that shows a spirit watching over me in the middle of the night… unless it's Gene.

"And you're sure you don't sense anything Mai?" Yasu says to me.

"I'd have to be sleeping to do that," I say.

Monk moves off the desk and to the center of the room. "I'm actually not sure about that anymore, Mai. I want you to relax and browse about the house; see if you _can_ sense anything. The rest of us will investigate the family and see if any of them might be stressed enough to cause the phenomenon. I'll help Ken-san with the work outside. Yasu can tutor Katashi-kun and of course Ayako will help Kei-san."

We agree to our tasks and I watch the others leave the room.

"The only problem with it being a poltergeist though, is that it's normally done by teenage girls. Kei-san looks like she's in her thirties, Ken-san looks a little older then that even, and Katashi-kun looks like he's thirteen." I say, thinking aloud.

"Then it's still a possibility," Gene says, walking into my line of vision from somewhere unseen. "Let's see if you do sense a spirit though; just in case."

I didn't like the way he says that. "Can't you sense spirits since you are one?"

He chuckled lightly. "Only if they're on my wave length, or near it. That's why it was critical that I change my vibration at the hotel. By changing my vibration, it made it difficult for her to tell I was there."

With a nod of my head, though I only partially understand his answer, I leave the room and head upstairs, figuring Kamiko's bedroom would be the best place to start my search.

"It's cold," I say as I enter her room. It is small and the walls are painted a soft pink-lavender color. White lace drapes over her window and her bedspread has butterflies on it. "She must have been a sweet little girl. Would she really be causing this much trouble?"

"It's hard to say. Cold spots _do_ fall into one of the nine criteria for a poltergeist but they're also not uncommon for spirits," Gene says.

I sigh heavily. "How do you and Naru retain all of this information?"

Gene looks at me intriguingly. "You know the nine criteria. It's not that complicated."

"Right, but you two just know so much…"

He laughs out right. "Well, Naru knows because he's an occult nerd and I know because he'd never shut up about it when we were together."

I stifle a laugh but then paused abruptly, swinging my head quickly to the side. My heart is beating fast and a chill runs up my spine, causing bumps to crawl across my arms. "What was that?" Gene turns to look but we can't see anything. "I swear I saw something out of the corner of my eye just now."

Gene is still silent; a serious look engraved into his face. I decide to continue through the house. Hesitantly, I walk into the other rooms and take time to see if I can sense anything. Occasionally I think that I can see something out of the corner of my eye again, but nothing when I turn around. After a half an hour or so Ayako and Kei call everyone to dinner.

It seems that everyone has connected with their counterparts. Ayako and Kei chat about different dinner recipes. Monk and Ken talk about guy things that _I_ have no interest in. Yasuhara has got Katashi out of his shell; the two of them talking about school life. My head shoots to the side again and for an instance I swear I can see the blurry image of a little girl. It's hard to distinguish though.

"Mai, is something wrong?" Monk asks as darkness falls upon us, the lights turning off. Then the lights come on. They flicker for several long seconds before turning off all together one last time.

"Honestly Kamiko-chan," Kei says, standing from the table and walking to the light switch so she can turn the lights back on. "Can't we have a peaceful dinner just once?" A soft knocking noise starts on one side of the room and then races along the walls until it reaches the opposite side of the room, near where Yasu, Katashi, and I sit. The knocking stops but Katashi's chair begins to shake.

"S-stop Kamiko! Please," Katashi says. His chair stops shaking and giggling stars to fill the room.

"That was quite a lot of activity," Ayako says once the light laughter ends. We're all astonished that in just our first night we are able to witness so much.

"Our Kamiko-chan has never been a shy one," Ken says proudly. "The activities always increase when we're having fun. I think she's just upset that she's missing out."

"Yes, but I fear that soon these little pranks of hers will become violent. Katashi-kun has already been hurt," Kei says.

"What happened to Katashi-kun?" I say, turning to look at the younger boy. His eyebrows furrow and his expression seems caught between anxiety and anger.

"I was bitten," He says, holding his arm up and raising his sleeve to reveal his wrist; tiny teeth marks are etched into his skin.

"You can't go around telling people that Kamiko-chan bit you when it's obvious that you bit yourself," Ken says, reprimanding his son with slight hostility.

"Dear, that bite is smaller than his if he bit down on something," Kei says. Indeed, the bite mark _is_ small.

"So he didn't open his mouth as wide as he could; that doesn't mean he didn't do the biting," Ken says. They began arguing about their daughter's spirit so we excused ourselves from the table. I give Katashi an apologetic look before we leave the dining room.

"So, were you able to sense anything Mai?" Monk asks as we entered our base.

"I saw what I think was a little girl several times out of the corner of my eye," I say.

"This is becoming more and more difficult," Ayako says.

"Why's that?" Yasu asks; still trying to absorb all that he can.

"Shaking furniture and bite marks are also on the list of criteria for a poltergeist," Ayako says.

"And to add to the confusion, so is seeing an image of a person whether hazy or full manifestation," I add.

"I really need to study up on poltergeists. How exactly do you tell a poltergeist apart from a spirit then?" Yasu says.

"I'm sure you've gone through them before but poltergeists can be classified into nine criteria. Loosely, those are explosions and things having to do with heat or electricity, like the lights flickering, and then there are doors opening and closing or locking by themselves, and hearing voices or receiving strange phone calls…" Monk starts to explain.

Ayako continues, "The fourth criteria would be the moving of furniture or the knocks that you hear in the house. The fifth would be things breaking or flying around. The sixth is cold spots or breezes of cold air when the windows aren't open and the AC isn't on."

"The seventh is anything like odd odors and smells, while the eighth is unusual animal activity, and the ninth is the feeling of being watched or anything like being pushed or touched by an unseen force. I also put feeling sick and dizzy into this last category." I say.

"You can put things into the different categories?" Yasu asks.

"The man who made these criteria did so very broadly because there are a lot of different phenomena that can occur with a poltergeist. When you look at the phenomena on a whole though you can see how the nine categories are formed because everything seems to fall within them," Monk says.

"It looks as if a lot of these can be attributed to a regular spirit though," Yasu says.

"That's where we get to the core root of the problem. Like how Naru has us measure the rooms and see if there's any subsidence causing the abnormalities," I say.

"Or if there's a known curse, or in this case we know a child just died," Ayako says. "Here's the really confusing part though. While a lot or poltergeist activity is caused by people under immense stress or anxiety, particularly teenage girls, they can still be cause by spirits."

"So then it is a spirit," Yasu says.

"But why would such a nice little girl want to be so reckless," I wonder aloud. "Maybe she doesn't realize how much she's hurting her family?" The others watch me as I questioned myself.

"Nice little girl huh?" Ayako asks. "Would a _nice little girl_ bite her brother like that?"

"That is to say if he didn't bite himself," Monk says.

"I don't think he did," Yasu says. "He doesn't seem like the type."

"I know Kamiko-chan wouldn't have done it," I say affirmatively.

Monk yawns. "It's getting late and we're talking ourselves in circles. Let's get some rest and take a look at the case tomorrow."

We nod in agreement and leave the room, heading up the stairs as Ayako adds, "Maybe Mai can find some clues for us in a dream tonight."

With that thought in mind, I make my way to the futons that Kei has set out for Ayako and me and began to sleep.

I inhaled deeply, but no air is coming in. I try again but I still can't breathe. A hand is on my face while another holds my nose tight. Darkness surrounds me and I can't see anything. My arms are pinned to my body. I struggle and fight but the hand won't let up and soon my head starts to pound. My heart's racing. I'm panicking. Tears are sliding down my face and I feel like I'm about to vomit.

Then I go limp.

I feel my body being moved and repositioned so that I'm lying on my stomach. _Am I still alive? No…_ After a tingly sensation surrounds me I feel myself detach from my body.

"Mai… Mai… Mai!"

_Is that Gene?_

"MAI!" Pain shoots across my cheek and I inhale deeply. The lights turn on and I see Ayako running back to me. "I had this terrible feeling creep over me and then I noticed I couldn't hear you breathing but you were lying next to me."

Gene's in the room as well and he looks as white as a… ghost. "I woke her since you wouldn't rise when I called your name." He says. My body forces itself into an upright position as Monk and Yasuhara arrive.

"Why are you two making so much noise at six in the morning?" Monk complains. Their room is right next door to ours so it's no wonder they heard us. I wipe a few tears off of my cheeks and start to tell them my dream. Afterwards I find my log and write it down. Then a thought crosses my mind.

_If Kamiko was murdered, who did it? Was it someone in the house?_ _And if it was someone in the house what would they do if they knew we knew? What would they do if they found the proof written down for the whole world to see?_

Suddenly I wonder if Naru would buy me a laptop for work reasons, as well as a few flash drives so that I can have multiple copies of my dreams. I could always buy my own personal laptop but for _creditable research related reasons_ I'm sure it'd be best to ask Naru.

"Did anyone even think to ask how Kamiko-chan died?" Yasu asks. We shake our heads 'no'. "Darn, me neither."

"I could ask Kei-san. I think she'll be the most approachable for the topic," Ayako says.

"Yeah, I think Ken-san is still in denial about the subject and won't want to bring it up," Monk says.

"And Katashi is really sensitive," Yasu says. "Oh, and I didn't think about this last night but we should check the footage from yesterday's dinner and see if we see anything related to poltergeist or spiritual activity."

Leave it to Yasu to think up stuff that we can't come up with on our own. I'm sure one of us would have thought about it eventually. We head downstairs and Ayako apologizes for slapping me in her attempt to wake me up.

The footage doesn't show anything abnormal in my and Ayako's room; the temperature staying the same with minor fluctuations throughout the night. The other camera, which we luckily placed in an area where it can cover the kitchen and the dining room, shows the vibrating chair, but besides a little static the camera wasn't able to catch anything else.

"Maybe we should switch the cameras around?" Monk suggests.

"Naru doesn't like moving equipment. He says it creates unsustainable research or something," I say. The group sighs and we decide it's best to do things Naru's way even though he isn't even here.

After a couple of hours the rest of the family begins to wake up one by one and the team breaks apart to dig up some information. I walk outside and investigate the front and back yard, questioning if I can sense anything in the surrounding area. Nothing reveals itself though, so I head back to the front porch, over hearing some of the conversation that Monk and Ken are having.

"So what kind of child was Kamiko-chan like?" Monk is asking.

"Kamiko-chan was like an angel. She was adorable and very smart, always minded her manners. She was the best child a man could've asked for," Ken answers as I entered the house. _Ken-san and Katashi-kun must not have a great relationship_ I think, judging by how obvious Ken made it that he thought his daughter was better than his son.

I briefly make an appearance in the kitchen; leaning against a bare wall and trying to relax my mind.

"That's Mai-san right?" I hear Kei whisper to Ayako. "She's not very social is she?"

"She's actually really social, but our medium couldn't take on your case with us, and Mai is the next closest thing we have to sense a spirit so she's focusing on that right now," Ayako whispers back.

"If you want to sense a spirit who's not on your wave length then you need to quit focusing on distractions," Gene says to me. I opened my eyes to look at him. "Why don't you try an area a little quieter?"

I nod my head and leave the kitchen with a slight bow to Kei and Ayako. As I turn my head I think I see Kamiko again, running into the dining room, but with further investigation nothing is there.

Yasu and Katashi are upstairs working on homework again so I make myself comfortable in the base, turning down the audio so that I can't be distracted by Ayako and Kei talking near the camera.

I sit down in the middle of the floor, my legs crossed, and my arms resting on my knees. If I can astral project maybe I'll be able to see and sense more. I tense every part of my body that I can and then slowly begin to relax; starting with my fingers and working up my arms, then my toes until I'm inching up my legs. I relax my forehead, then my jaw, and then my neck.

"That's enough Mai," I hear Gene say and in my relaxed state I open my eyes.

My head lifts up but then I notice that my actual head hasn't moved at all. As I sit on the floor, half connected to my body and half pulled into the astral plane, I notice a small child watching me; her eyes big and brown, her hair equally brown and long. She's holding a small doll and wearing a soft but frilly dress that's covered in bows and reaching to her knees. My eyes stay fixated on her as I reconnect with my body, never losing concentration. With Gene's help I am able to adjust my wavelength without needing to fully lose consciousness.

"Kamiko-chan?" I say weakly; the reconnection taking a little more energy than I thought it would.

"Onee-san," Kamiko says with a bright smile. All of a sudden her form turns blurry and I think I've broken the connection with her wavelength, and then I realize the whole room has gone blurry and I collapse onto the floor.

"Kamiko… Kamiko? Kamiko!"

I'm watching a film of black as I listen to a hushed voice call out frantically to me. The sound of hurried steps and then the light turns on, revealing a worried looking Katashi.

"Kamiko?" He says again, running back to my body and shaking it again.

_My body? Why am I watching my body? Shouldn't I be in my body?_

"Kamiko please wake up! Oh no, what have I done?" Katashi starts to shake with frustration, his cheeks growing wet as he realizes the true aftermath of what he's done. He grabs my body and turns it onto its stomach. "Hopefully they won't realize it was me…" He says; his voice desperate and shaking as he turns the light to my room back off and leaves my bedroom.

My head is light and heavy at the same time as I sit back up. "I can't believe he did that to you," I say in a soft whisper before I realize that Kamiko is staring at me. "I can still see you," I gasp.

Kamiko walks over to me and gives me a hug, overwhelming me with emotions of sadness and fear.

"Mama and nii-san are angry with me, but I'm not doing the bad things, I'm not," Kamiko says, her voice high and innocent.

"I believe you Kamiko-chan. We're going to get to the bottom of this, alright?" She nods her head and I make my way upstairs, deciding I'll get Yasu first.

"Yasu I made contact with her, I'm calling a meeting at the base," I tell him. Katashi and I look at each other briefly and I don't know what to think about him. How could a little boy kill his sister? He looks scared and worried, as if I've discovered his secret. _I have._

"Okay I'll meet you there after this last question," Yasu says. I give my 'okay' and head back downstairs to collect Monk and Ayako.

"So what's this about?" Ayako asks; I decided to keep my contact with Kamiko a secret from Ken and Kei. After a brief retelling within the base, the door securely locked, I've informed them of my vision.

"That's how it is then?" Monk says.

"But Kamiko-chan says she isn't the one causing the activity," I say.

"Obviously she has to be," Ayako says. "She's the spirit and she's here, what else would be doing it?" I watch Kamiko sit on top of Gene's lap.

_It must be nice to feel the comfort and support of an older-brother-figure after your last one killed you_, I think sadly.

"What about Katashi-kun?" Yasu asks. "He's just entering into his teen years and while he isn't a girl he is in a lot of stress. The homework I keep helping him with is very advanced for his grade. I only just covered some of the material last year."

"And I know his father thinks more highly of Kamiko-chan; he was telling you that earlier today, Monk," I add.

"Plus if he killed his sister that itself would stress him out," Monk says, starting to agree with us.

"So Kamiko-chan's spirit is here but Katashi-kun is the poltergeist? I suppose it is logical, but what's keeping Kamiko-chan here?" Ayako says.

"Like, what's her unfinished business?" Yasu asks.

"Maybe she just wants an answer," Monk says. "Why would her older brother just kill her out of nowhere, you know?"

"Unless this wasn't out of nowhere and it was premeditated?" Ayako says.

"I don't think it was. Katashi-kun isn't that kind of person. He's a good kid who tries really hard to make people proud of him," Yasu argues.

_I don't know what to think. I can't forgive Katashi for killing his sister… and yet, I can't bring myself to hate him either._ "He just seemed so sad in the vision. Like he couldn't believe what he had done."

There's a hiccup mixed with a cough from outside of the room.

Monk and Yasu get to the door first but we can't see anyone there. "Darn kid must have overheard our whole conversation," Monk says. "I saw his back as he rounded the corner up the stairs."

"Go stay with him Yasu," I say, my voice shaking yet demanding. A terrible feeling has overwhelmed me. "He's old enough to consider killing himself."

The others look at me with wide eyes but they know I'm right and Yasu chases after him and into his room.

A few hours pass and soon Yasu is dragging Katashi downstairs to join us for dinner. I'm relieved that we caught him before he tried anything, that is, if he _was_ going to try anything in the first place.

We predicted as much considering that Katashi is the catalyst for the poltergeist activity, but after he learned that we knew his secret, more events come about during dinner. The lights flicker again until one of the bulbs actually bursts. The knocking on the walls is louder than before and the table starts shaking violently, scuffing up the floor underneath.

Kei tries yelling for Kamiko to stop but we all know now that Katashi is at fault, and because he overheard us talking he knows too. Katashi leaves the dining room frantically, unknowingly passing his younger sister who stands in place, looking dejected. After dinner I head upstairs; I'd lost sight of Kamiko and she looked so sad that I want to make her feel better.

I find her in her room, the one I'm using, her spirit glowing lightly in the dark.

"Kamiko-chan?" I ask as I turned on the light. I am faintly aware of the sound of a door opening as Kamiko runs over to me, wrapping her small arms around my legs and burying her face into my lap. "It's okay." I say. I'm not sure what's okay though. I lift her up—which is strange considering she is transparent and doesn't have a physical body—and move her to her bed so that I can comfort her easier.

"Is that really Kamiko?" Katashi asks as he entered into the room.

"Yes," I say. "Can you see her?" He shakes his head 'no'.

"K-Kamiko… I just," Katashi takes in a deep breath of air and gulps, trying to build up courage. I remember something Masako had told me not to long ago and realize that he probably feels awkward talking towards me but at something he can't see.

He starts again. "I just… I was jealous that all you had to do was be cute and polite. I'm polite. I work hard and I try my best at what I do, I'm just not a natural, and yet, wherever we went together, the focus was always on you…"

Monk, Ayako, and Yasuhara have brought Ken and Kei to the room. Judging by their faces, Ken and Kei have been filled in by what we've learned. They appear to be caught between wanting to interrupt their son and also wanting to listen to everything he has to say. I feel a pang of guilt as I let him continue; not making him aware that his parents are standing right behind him.

"I wasn't trying to kill you Kamiko. I swear I wasn't. I was just frustrated and thought if I took it out on you then I'd relieve some of my frustration. I know that violence isn't the answer but I was just trying to scare you and I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd suffocate to death. I'd read somewhere that it can take up to eight minutes for a person to suffocate. I didn't hold you down for that long."

Ken's face is filled with anger and fear as he listens to his son's confession. Kei is in tears, fighting back sobs so that her son won't realize they're there. And Katashi… He falls to the ground, on his knees and in a bow so low he's nearly laying on the floor. His body convulses as he begins to cry loudly.

"I'm so sorry," he says, his voice quivering apologetically. "I'm so sorry Kamiko-chan. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Can nii-san see me, nee-san?" Kamiko asks; not looking away from Katashi. I shake my head 'no' and she begins to feel differently.

She stands from my side and off of the bed as her parents, Monk, Yasu, and Ayako gasp. Katashi looks up, taken aback from the gasps but fully distracted by the sight in front of him.

"K-Kamiko?" Katashi gasps, sitting up awkwardly.

"Nii-san, I'm sorry that I made you feel that way," Kamiko says, walking over to her brother.

"It wasn't your fault Kamiko," Katashi says, throwing his arms onto her shoulders.

"It doesn't matter anymore though does it?" Kamiko says with wondering. "I forgive you nii-san." She leans into his body and gives him a brief hug before she's pulled up and out of our world.

"Where did she go?" Katashi asks angrily.

"She's finally found peace and has crossed over," Ayako says. Katashi turns towards her voice but then snaps his head away so that he can look at me again, clearly not wanting to see his parents.

"Come with me, son," Ken says sternly and then leaves the room's entrance, heading downstairs with Katashi hesitantly following him. He keeps his head down, not wanting to see the broken look on his mother's face as he passes her.

Kei is still crying. "I can't believe my son would do that…" She says. She thanks us for our work and tells us we can, of course, stay the night and then leave after breakfast in the morning. Then she heads downstairs as well to talk with Ken and her son. Her body wobbles with each step she takes as she forces herself away from the room that once belonged to her daughter.

After an emotional day the night's sleep was a nice change of events, especially since my rest wasn't interrupted by terrifying dreams.

In the morning we decide to pack our things up before breakfast so that we can eat and then be on our way. After loading in the last computer monitor I find myself walking to Kamiko's room, wanting to give it a proper farewell. Ken and Kei wouldn't tell us what they plan on doing with Katashi; whether they'll take him to the authorities or any other course of action, and I'm actually grateful not knowing. It shows a new light on Naru's take on cases and why he doesn't like to get familiar with his clients.

I jump from fright as my phone starts to vibrate in my pocket.

_Wait? Someone is actually calling me?_

I dig out my phone and notice it's from a blocked number. Maybe it's just a salesman or something? I don't think I owe money anywhere… Would my school's number be blocked?

"Hello?" I say as I answer.

"What is taking you so long? The little boy is a poltergeist, stressed out because of his sister's death. Now hurry up and get everything packed, you lot are needed for another case," the voice says from my cell phone.

"Nice to finally talk to you too, Naru…" I mumble. He barks out an address and I scramble frantically to get a paper and pen so I can write it down. "What's your issue Naru?"

"You're holding up my psychics and I'm tired of paying them to work on a meaningless case assigned by Madoka when I have a more substantial case that I'm currently working on and could actually use assistance with. Now quit fooling around and get here." The phone shuts off as he hangs up on me after his long derogatory ramble.

_I knew Naru was full of himself but I didn't think he'd second guess Madoka like that…_

_Maybe he's just tired from his flight back from England? _

With a hesitated sigh I head downstairs to tell the gang that my boss is back and _eager_ for us to get back to him; their moans telling me they feel the same way that I do.

**AN: I'd love to know your thoughts and opinions to review meh work please! Even if you're a new reader! Let me know what's up! (^ ^)v**

**Fast Facts #5: Ken ( **健 **) means "strong, healthy", Kei ( **敬**) means "respectful", Katashi ( **堅 **) means "firm", and Kamiko ( **上子 **) means "superior child"**


	5. CURSE AT THE CORPORATION

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this and I'm not trying to sell any of it.**

**AN: ****Spoilers if you haven't read chapters 1-4**** So, I've had a case where a mom beat her daughter, one where a husband stabbed his wife and kid, then another where a little boy suffocated his sister… ****end spoiler** **…and yet I think that **_this_** case is the messed up one! What's wrong with me!? **(** -_- )**

CASE 4: CURSE AT THE CORPORATION

…_once filled with dreams_

"Oh man, I wish we could have enjoyed more of Kei-san's breakfast," Monk says, moaning as we drive further away from our recently finished case and head towards Tokyo. His stomach groans with hunger.

"He didn't have to be so mean either," I say, sounding a little whiney, but hey if everyone is going to complain about Naru then I want in on the fun.

"Isn't our boss such a charm?" Yasu says with a bright smile on his face. His tone is so well masked that I almost wonder if he isn't, in fact, being sarcastic.

"That kid… This case better be serious to call us so rudely," Ayako says. We are all in a foul mood; I in particular since I was the one who received the nasty phone call. Gene's snickering at the influence Naru has over us doesn't help.

We arrive at the address a little after lunch. To our surprised, we have been directed to a large corporate building that is near seven stories tall, including the ground floor.

A woman with long hair, her bangs pulled back by a headband, waves us over and directes us to the employee parking lot.

"Hello, are you Shibuya-san's employees?" The woman asks as we get out of Monk's car. We answer 'yes' and give her our names. "Great, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Akemi Aki." She begins to escort us to the front of the building. "Shibuya-san told me that he didn't provide you any information about this case so I'll go ahead and give you a brief overview now.

"You see, this building is haunted… or cursed… or _something_. My father and I have been seeing silhouettes of people watching us and my father has been shoved down the stairs on more than one occasion."

"R-really?" I gasp.

"Yes. Also, this building is suffering from gas leaks. We have detectors set up so that if a leak occurs, we'll know, but we can't find the source of the leaks. We're trying to have the building torn down and reconstructed but until we find what's leaking it's a safety hazard."

"The base is in the building though?" Ayako asks.

"Yes, that's right," Akemi suddenly begins coughing; her voice sounding groggy as she hacks up blood. She turns away from us and walks to some bushes positioned near the entrance, trying to spit the blood out as quietly as possible before coming back. Her eyes are worried but she quickly adapts a smile and I realize just how worn out she is. Whatever is ailing her has been taking its toll and she's trying her hardest to hide the fact. "I do apologize for that. I was exposed to the gas leaks for several minutes and now suffer this mild cough. If you don't mind I'll be going now."

She begins to leave but I stop her suddenly. "Are you sure you can be by yourself?"

"Don't worry. I'm actually heading to the doctor's," she says in a kind voice. I let go of her arm after having grabbed it unexpectedly and we watch her walk back to the employee parking lot.

As we enter into the building we all make note of the blood she had spit up; each of us passing a quick glance at the crimson colored liquid, and realizing that there was more there then we thought. _She must have been coughing up blood the whole time she waited for us._

The inside of the building is grandeur. The entrance is decorated in black and white tiles that look like they're splashed in specks of gold paint. Small potted trees are positioned precariously in between lounge chairs, and mirrors and paintings. There's also a receptionist desk that looks like it's built out of marble. The ceiling is high and an illusion makes it seem like it curves like a dome though I know it doesn't since this is just the ground floor. Even the lights are extravagant; small chandeliers that hang high above us and cast strange patterns across the tan colored wallpaper.

_I bet even the bathrooms in this place are incredible._

"There's no note from the boss," Yasu says and I realize he has walked over to the receptionist desk in search of papers. Ayako takes an opportunity to sit on one of the chairs while Monk feels a tree's leaves, trying to determine if the plant is real or not.

"Why would live plants and furniture be here?" Monk says aloud. "If they want to tear the place down shouldn't it be emptied out by now?"

"Maybe this is the rest of it and it just hasn't been taken out?" Ayako suggests.

"The stuff is too nicely positioned for that to be the reason," Monk says while Yasu comes back to our little circle.

"Maybe they couldn't hire workers to take everything because of the health hazard," I say.

"Smart thinking, I bet your right," Monk says as he throws one of his large hands atop of my head to pat it.

Yasuhara squints up his eyes and begins to act melodramatic. "I can't believe you Monk. Flirting with another woman?"

"You're a woman?" We ask him in unison, our faces blank as we try our best to act reserved.

"Why yes, didn't you know?" Yasu says with a large grin and thumbs up.

"Okay, enough fooling around," Ayako says as she stands from the chair with a huff. "Let's find Naru. This place is giving me the creeps." As they head to an elevator shaft I hesitate. I don't want to follow them up there. I don't know if I'm ready to see Naru just yet.

The last time I saw him was under such horrible circumstances. I haven't even spoken to him at all during our time apart, and what's worst… _I have Gene while he doesn't._

"Are you coming Mai-senpai?" Yasu asks me from outside the elevator's opening doors.

"N-n-no," I say. "I'm going to scout around in case I can sense something."

"What about the gas leaks?" Monk says.

"I'll be fine. They can't be that bad if Naru kept base in the building. Plus, you heard Akemi-san; there's detectors in the building now," I say. The excuse was enough for them and they enter the elevator; prepared to hunt down Naru's location floor by floor.

I walk further into the large room, wondering what's behind the wall. Is it the end of the building or are there other things on this main floor? I open a set of double doors and find a large ball room; probably for corporate events… This room is empty; the tables that could fill it are probably hiding in storage. There's so much space that part of me wants to run around and jump or dance but that's way too childish! _I'm working after all._

I go through the ball room and open another door, stumbling into a kitchen. This area has been cleared out as well; no doubt that the owners feared what would happen if someone broke in and then got a hold of the knives and blades.

Past the kitchen I find a janitorial elevator and decide to ride it to the second floor. At the back of my mind I feel like I could be sensing something. The feelings I have for the building so far are mixed; hostility being overridden by childlike curiosity as I explore the elaborate working of the large structure.

The second floor is nothing but cubicles with phones and I wonder if it's a small call center for whatever the corporation manufactures. There are a few small maternity rooms and offices, but it's inside a large office—probably for the head supervisor—that I decide to sit and meditate in. I relax and try to change my wavelength without completely passing out like Gene showed me; but I still don't pick up on anything more.

In my dreams I'd be able to view the whole building; seeing through walls and floors. Maybe I _should_ let my spirit wander free. I release myself, my body lying against the wall, and float up towards the ceiling.

_This is better_. I can finally make out more details. There's still no sign of a spirit but I do see a collection of people up on the fourth floor. I head to the group and find Naru, Lin, Monk, Ayako, Yasu, and… Masako? _Oh I get it, you couldn't take the previous case because you wanted alone time working with Naru, huh?_

With no other spirits revealing themselves to me and with Naru's location now made clear, I decide to head back to my body. _What was that? _I twirl in spot as a distorted, blurry figure dashes down a ladder that's hidden in the kitchen on the first floor. I fly to the figure as fast as possible and realize I've just entered into a basement. It's almost like a bunker and I guess it must also be where the security guards located themselves as there are a large number of lockers, a staff refrigerator, and a line of televisions with different floors and rooms marked on them.

As I inch closer to the still unaware spirit, I also notice that part of the room has janitorial equipment; cleaners and mops, brooms and trash bags, vacuums and a tile buffer.

The spirit is staring pointedly at one of the blank television screens. I look at the screen and read: 2nd FLOOR; HEAD OFFICE. _The head office? … That's where I am!_ The screen flickers on with a large clicking noise, static rushes across the image of my body which now lies collapsed on the floor. Through the static I can see a haunting amount of gas creeping out of the vents that are positioned along the floor.

_Oh no!_

I fly as fast as I can back to Masako. I was a little jealous of her just minutes ago but now I'm ecstatic that she's here.

"Why would you let her go off alone when you don't even know the severity of this case?" Naru is saying… no… yelling at Monk as I near them

"She wanted to see if she could sense anything," Monk said unnervingly as he tries to defend himself. His expression tells me different though. He's ashamed of himself for letting me leave on my own. "She's developing her abilities. I'm sure she's fine."

_I'm not that strong yet, Monk. I'm sorry._

Masako seems to have noticed my presence but hasn't yet wrapped her finger around it.

"Masako," I say to her while placing a hand on her shoulder.

She jumps and looks at me, barely making out my image as a spirit. "Mai?"

The room goes silent as they stare at Masako; wondering what's going on. I take the time to explain to her what's happened.

Masako gasps, her hands rushing to her lips as she cups them around her face in worry. With a poignant expression she turns to Naru. "It's too much time to explain but she's collapsed within the main office of the second floor."

In a dash Naru is out the door and running to the stairs; I didn't even notice him pick up the gas mask that he's holding in his hand. _So that's why he was okay with keeping his base in the building._ Lin and Monk follow close behind as Masako and Yasu wait worriedly for my retrieval. Since I know that I'll be safe now I take the time to imagine my body and summon myself back into it.

When I awaken I'm being carried in Naru's arms back to his base. He's placed his mask across my face so that my body can breathe in clean air. I start gasping, embarrassed by the fact that I'm in his arms and also because I want to have a coughing fit from the gas.

"Calm down and quit being an idiot," Naru says; snapping angrily. I really have put him in a foul mood.

My breathing continues to be drawn out and ragged until I grow more comfortable. Soon, I find myself falling asleep wrapped in his arms.

My vision is obstructed for a second as I dig around in my bag looking for something. _Finally! There it is._ I pull out a thick black book and place it on my desk, turning the pages until I find one that I haven't written on yet. The note book is filled over half way. I grab my pen. _Her_ pen. And place the nib to the page.

_My dearest Akemi Aki-chan._

_I'm using your pen again. That one you gave me so many years ago. I remember it more than any of my other memories because it was my first memory of you. Your father was introducing you to each floor, after all, after the company you _are_ his pride and joy. I've always loathed that man but after meeting you I figured there was a way he could be redeemed. I mean, something that could make perfection can't be all that bad. In my wildest fantasies I crave for you; yearn for you. I wish just this once you would notice me watching you. I don't follow you home because I want to hurt you, but because I want to love you. Just this once will you turn around and notice me? Turn around and let me come inside…?_

"My Darling, what would you do if I ever gave you this notebook filled with my love?" I mumble to myself as I close the book and place it back inside of my bag.

I wake up on top of a couch. _'That has to be one of the most awkward dreams I've ever had,'_ I think as I sit up and look for my stuff. I have to write _it_ down too?

"Are you alright Mai-san?" Lin asks as he moves from his chair at a desk and walks over to me. He and I are the only ones in the room.

"I'm fine, just looking for someth— there it is!" I grab my journal and a pen and head back to the couch as Lin continues to watch me with a frown. "I promise Lin-san, I'm fine." I cough for a second which casts away any belief that he had in my former statement. "Don't worry. It's expected after all that gas. It's nice to see you again, by the way."

He sighs and nods to me before going back to his desk to type up paperwork. I take the time to jot down the dream, trying my hardest to write down everything the man had written down. I need to be unbiased when noting my dreams. Afterwards, I notice all of the fancy equipment that Naru and Lin brought with them, like always; my admiring coming to a quick end when Naru enters the base.

"How are you feeling?" He says to me and I can't tell if he's concerned or angry by the tone of his voice. _This is definitely not how I envisioned our reunion._

"M-much better thanks," I said. _Get it together, Mai!_

"Good. Maybe the gas knocked the stupidity out of you. Since you're awake Lin can come help us. Mai, you're watching the base," Naru says. He drops a duffle bag near one of the walls and begins opening it; there are more gas masks in it.

"What about Yasu?" I ask irritatingly. "I have more psychic power then he does."

"His brain works differently than yours and I find that after your recent endeavor the only good you'll do me is to stay here and entertain Akemi-san and Aki-san if they decide to stop by," Naru says sharply.

"Aki-san?" I ask dumbly.

"Akemi-san's father. The owner of this corporation." Naru says bluntly and then leaves; Lin had exited the room minutes before.

"Stupid Naru!" I yell after I figure he's out of hearing range. "Why does he have to be so mean all the time?"

"He obviously cares," Gene says; floating into my vision and taking a seat on the couch. "He's keeping you cooped up here because he's worried you'll be attacked again, I'm sure. I bet this is the base because Hara-san claimed it was the safest room here."

"I suppose that might make sense…" I say, but I'm still mad at Naru.

"Who are you talking to?" I look over and there's a thick man at the entrance of our base. He's tall and broad. There are dark bags under his wrinkled, old eyes. His dark gray hair, though slicked back, is unruly and a few of his bangs have slunk back across his face.

"Who are you?" I ask back.

"Mai, that's obviously—" Gene starts to tell me but the man interrupts, not that he had realized.

"I'm Aki, the owner of this corporation. Now tell me who you are little girl, as well as who you're talking to," Aki says loudly, his behemoth voice booming through the room.

I stand and bow quickly. "I'm Mai Taniyama and I was talking to a spirit."

Aki laughed harshly. "A spirit? You actually believe in that crap?" My expression, which is of shock and confusion, pushes him to continue. "I only hired your little SPR group because my daughter asked me to; saying she felt like this place was haunted."

My mind starts to race as my emotions rise. I'm growing sick and tired of people hiring us even though they doubt our work. They generally don't thank us once we've solved a case, though, at the same time, I feel like Aki-san has general concern for his daughter. She _has_ been coughing up blood. Hiring SPR must be his last effort to help her and it frustrates him because he doesn't believe in this stuff so even though he wants to hope he can't. Is Akemi-san dying? I gasp as I continue thinking about Aki's motives.

"You are the rudest little girl I've ever met," Aki says and then storms out of the room.

"Wait… What?" I turn to Gene. _Why did Aki leave all of a sudden?_

"You were spacing out and I think he thought you were ignoring him," Gene says. _That makes sense…_

After another half hour the sky outside has grown dark and Naru and the others return to the base.

"What is wrong with you Mai?" Naru says and he doesn't sound angry but I can tell that his concern will be coming with an insult. Sure enough, he adds, "Are you _trying _to upset me by being rude to our clients?"

"Whatever Naru," I say my voice loud and angry. "Take his side then, without asking me for my half of the story." I race out of the room and head for the elevator; my goal being to get to the front doors and breath in some fresh outdoor air. Ayako and Masako are quick to catch up with me, I'm sure Naru told them to watch me, and together they guide me to the hotel where we'll be staying.

_At least we don't have to sleep in that polluted building._ I can't wait to sleep.

I find myself writing again; my hand scribbling feverishly against the paper with enough animosity to bend and deform the spirals of the note book.

_Die you fat scum,_

_President Aki you will rue the day that you ever harassed me. I don't stalk your daughter. I don't obsess over her or trail her like some damn dog. Akemi-chan is the emerald of my eye, the jewel hidden in the depths of the sea, the diamond in the rough. I pursue her with wild vigor in hopes of conquering her heart. _

_But you—you sadistic old man. You are the bane to my existence. Spying on me and treading around me cautiously. Why did you have to move her to a different floor? We were fine together but now she is kept locked away in this tower of hell! Fate deems us together though and I will make sure that she's with me in the end. Just as the fallen lovers, Romeo and Juliet, took their lives so that they could never be apart, we too shall die together while you burn slowly in the depths of your own personal hell. _

_Someday I hope these feelings reach you. _

_Then maybe you'll come to understand what it's like to live under your oppression. Old men should learn to die and your death couldn't come sooner!_

'_Ugh, it's only five in the morning?'_ My head is lying heavily on the pillow as I awaken from the dream. I sit up and inhale deeply, unnerved by the heavy feeling in my lungs. Trying not to make a sound, I head to my dream log and turn on a lamp so that I can see as I write. These dreams I'm having are weird. I still haven't seen the writer's face, but at least I know where the hostile feeling in the building is coming from.

Sleep seems to be avoiding me now that I've woken up, so, taking my journal with me, I decide to head to the corporation where I know at least one person from our team is still awake and working.

I trip and stumble into the office we've claimed as our base; not surprised to see Naru staring aimlessly at the screens of his computers. He looks at me with wonder but I know he's not surprised by my presence; he probably watched me walk up here through all of his cameras.

"You should be sleeping so that you can be in top form while working on the case," he says absently, turning his attention back to the screens.

I walk over to his desk and stand beside him, joining him in screen watching. "So how many days have you been working on this case?"

"This is day three."

"What have you learned so far?"

He laces his fingers together and rests his chin atop them. "The cameras have picked up several drops in temperature and Hara-san sensed the presence of _something_, but we haven't been given any other clues then that. Taking your incident from yesterday into consideration, my theory that the spirit it causing the gas leaks is correct."

There isn't much more that I can add and then I realize that since we're alone this would be the best time to ask my boss for a monetary favor. "Would you buy me a laptop?"

"Excuse me?" He turns to me, his eyes wide in shock. I've actually caught him off guard for once and his dumbfounded expression is too strange and adorable for me to handle. My face heats up and rather than explain myself I force my journal into his hands.

He continues to maintain the dumbfounded expression as he mentally debates if he should review the journal or not. With a sigh as if he's been defeated—_does that mean I won?—_he opens the book and begins reading; his eyes zipping across the pages quickly.

I feel awkward watching him read it and I wish I could have waited just a little longer. There's only twenty-two dreams marked down, and only eleven of those are case related; if there was more then I think the journal would seem more adequate. All of a sudden he's put my journal down.

"I may have underestimated you," he says as he pulls his black laptop over and begins typing into it while glancing at the pages of my journal, copying the entries down word for word. "This is excellent work. I don't know who told you to start recording your dreams but I'm impressed that you've been able to keep the entries unbiased; looking at it from an analytical perspective."

"I figured you wouldn't accept it for study if I didn't," I say. The weight in my chest seems to lighten a little from his compliment.

He continues to type, halfway through the journal by now. "I'll consider the laptop." My mouth widens into a grin. "So you've been seeing Gene again. How does that make you feel?" It's only then that Gene makes his presence known to me, this time standing beside his brother.

Ever since Gene came back into my dreams I've been secretly regretting this topic. Naru and Gene. I don't know what I was scared of though. The tone in Naru's voice as he asks me about his brother isn't jealous or angry, he doesn't sound sad or upset. _When does he ever sound that way?_ In fact, if I had to describe it, I think Naru sounds relieved in a sense. Maybe, even though he can't speak and see his brother like I can, he likes knowing that his brother isn't that far away.

"I'm happy he's back. Its nice having my own personal teacher, though, I am a little put off by his personality," I say.

"He is pretty stupid," Naru says. Laughter bursts from Gene's mouth and I wish Naru could hear it.

I stare at Gene uncomfortably, trying to hide his infectious laughter that wants to sneak out of my lips. Naru watches me perplexed, catching me gaze in the direction of his brother. "I can see him outside of my dreams now."

"You must be improving then." He makes no attempt to turn towards Gene; there's no point in trying to look at someone that he can't see.

"Yeah, the other's think I might develop into a medium."

"We'll see."

I smile again as Lin enters the base. "You're up already?" He asks me rhetorically. Before I can answer, Naru and Lin start discussing the night's events and their currently recorded footage and audio. After several minutes I attempt to offer my services but Naru tells me to relax until the others arrive.

A couple more hours pass when Yasu makes an appearance. He chats with Naru for a few minutes and then joins me on the other side of the office; suggesting we make tea. A half hour after that and Monk shows up; also talking with Naru about the case before joining Yasu and me. Then finally, another twenty minutes later, and both Ayako and Masako arrive. With the group fully assembled work officially starts for the day.

"We need to switch out the cameras. I've decided this would best be done in pairs so that nothing like yesterday's events happens," Naru says as Lin brings us each a gas mask and hands Ayako and Monk walkie-talkies. "Hara-san, Matsuzaki-san, you two will take the fifth floor. Monk-san and Yasuhara-san will take the sixth floor. Mai and I will take the top floor. I took care of the first four floors last night before I started seeing activity."

"I'm actually helping?" I ask.

"Yes Mai. Because you managed to piss off Aki-san I thought it'd be best to leave Lin in charge of the challenging task of staying in the base while I have the pleasure of babysitting you."

I take a step back from the look he's giving me. Normally I'd be thrilled with time alone with him; we did just spend a few quiet hours together in relative harmony, but we're working now and his look could kill. Even Masako, who would generally be jealous of knowing I got alone time with Naru, is giving me a pitiful look.

We break away from the base, Naru grabbing a walkie-talkie for himself on our way out. We all take the elevator; the group getting smaller with each floor we pass until Naru and I arrive at the seventh floor.

"So did you measure everything yet?" I say in an attempt to make small talk.

"Yes. Lin and I measured every room and floor yesterday while Hara-san tried to sense spirits."

"Oh man, I don't know why I ever underestimated you Naru, but who'd have thought that, besides everything else you're amazing at, you'd excel at grunt work too?" I say; barely able to mask my sarcasm but he smirks in response and I half expect him to say something like "never underestimate me."

We enter into the first room containing a camera. Once it's changed out I ask if Naru would mind waiting for a second. I sit on the floor in a meditative position, my legs crossed and my hands resting on my knees while Naru leans against a wall and watches me. Just like yesterday I attempt to change my wavelength without breaking free from my body, trying to sense the presence of spirits around me. After I begin to feel elevated, I stand up and we continue to the next room with me still in my heightened state.

We continue through the floor, Naru's camera-operating-grunt-work expertise making our task progress quickly. It isn't until we arrive to the last camera that I finally sense something. I set down the collected footage as I clear my mind and try to concentrate but the presence is far off and I can't focus on it.

"What are you doing?" Naru asks as I walk over to him.

"Catch me," I say and then raise my spirit out of my body, watching it collapse helplessly into Naru's outstretched arms.

I fly towards the presence and in seconds I've come to Masako and Ayako on the fifth floor. They're heading into a room that I feel the presence in and the fear of a gas leak fills my head. Last time I sensed a presence it was because a spirit was flooding the room my body was lying in with gas; this time the spirit is filling the room they're about to walk into with gas!

I imagine my body, summoning myself back to it. Naru's holding me up unsurely, not knowing if I've purposefully become unconscious or if something's wrong; despite his wonder he is still unshaken when I burst into consciousness and tell him what's happening. Within a second he's on the walkie-talkie; telling them to abandon the last camera.

We gather our footage and head back to the elevator, quickening our pace in case the spirit targets us next. As we reach the elevator I turn my head to the side cautiously, feeling like something is watching me. All I see though is a ladder that I never noticed earlier; this one heading to the roof instead of the basement, but still containing the same foreboding feeling.

Since our floor is the highest, we're the last ones to reach the base.

"Is everyone alright?" Lin asks frantically… well, frantically for Lin. "The detectors signaled that there was a gas leak so I tried to get a hold of you but my receiver wasn't working."

"Don't worry; we're all fine," Ayako says in a relieved way. Everyone turns to thank me for my quick thinking; Naru opting to at least not say anything mean. I can't handle the activity though and I feel myself getting dizzy.

Suddenly a hand is on my forehead.

"She's burning up," I hear a voice say. I think it was Naru but maybe it was Monk. Then I notice that Ayako's hand it the one on my head. "Maybe you've overworked yourself?"

Gene's standing amongst us now. "I think it's the gas you inhaled."

"I think you're right," I say to Gene but everyone assumes, except maybe Masako, that I'm answering Ayako. "I think I'm going to go sleep it off." Ayako walks me to the building's entrance but I tell her I'll be fine the rest of the way; the hotel's just down the road. She gives me some medicine that she grabbed before leaving the base and then wishes me well.

'_There she is! My love. My darling. My beautiful Akemi-chan,' _I think to myself from amongst the leaves I'm hidden in. Akemi walks out of the front door of an apartment complex and begins walking to her car. I watch her hungrily, taking in every curve of her body as she enters her car and drives away. Once she's out of site I get into my own car and begin to follow her. I already know where she's heading so the distance I'm keeping doesn't matter.

I've arrived to the park she's made plans at and find her sitting on a blanket not far from where I've parked. It must be fate. Or maybe she knows I was going to come and she wanted to make it easier for me to find her? Soon she's surrounded by her friends, my angel _is_ popular, and they begin to enjoy a picnic. Her purity is best left untouched so I engage in my sick, lustful act alone while enjoying her beauty from afar. If only she knew how lovely she was. How captivating she was. How much I wanted her to be mine and only mine. Sometimes I dream of capturing her; locking her away from society so that she could remain untouched. But an angel should spread her love to the world.

I glance up to my rearview mirror, adjusting it so I can see my face. My brown hair, which is short and bowl cut, has grown a little longer; my bangs falling across my eyes. _'Akemi-chan is pure enough to love someone like me,'_ I think as I rub my fingers across the scars on my lips and across the corner of my eye. She'd accept anyone because no one can match her beauty.

In a start I'm awake again, running to the bathroom to throw up; the nausea waking me from the dream. My head is still on fire but I finally have a clue who that deranged man is. I know what he looks like now.

"You're dreams this case are a little…" Gene says as I take some of the medicine Ayako gave me. I should keep resting but I think it's urgent to give Naru this clue.

"Have you been watching them with me?" I ask as I leave the hotel and head back to the building.

"Well I'm trying to observe rather than help but yes, and after that last one I almost regret it…" he says and I understand him completely.

We get to the office but I duck around to the other side of the wall and out of site; Aki is standing in the base; conversing with Naru about the slow progression of the case.

"Honestly, this is good for us," Gene says. "You can ask him who the dream guy is."

"Aki-san hates me though and I don't know how to bring it up," I whisper feverishly. I can feel my words start to slur as the fever begins affecting my coherency.

"It's impeccable that we ask him, Mai. Would you mind if I posses you?"

I nod my head, giving him the OK, and then relax my mind as I lean against the wall. Soon my body feels cold and I find my spirit leaving it. I watch Gene lean off the wall from within my body, and then I follow him into the office; watching from the astral plane. It seems that I should be careful about projecting my soul from now on; when I do so I apparently leave my body open for unwanted possession.

"What is all of this stupid equipment for?" Aki says, yelling at Naru. "What are you even trying to accomplish? I'm seeing no results except for proof that an unheated, large building gets cold."

"Aki-san," The Gene-Mai says. "I believe it's _our_ turn to start asking _you_ the difficult questions."

Aki turns to Gene with a slight jump. Naru, finally noticing my body once Aki has moved to the side, gives a surprised look as well. With Gene in control my body seems to have extracted the last of its energy; there isn't a single trace of the fever. Everyone waits for either _me_ or Aki to speak now that Gene has cut in.

"One of our biggest issues in this case is that you've given us very little to work with. A supposedly haunted building that suffers gas leaks and the fact that your daughter is deathly ill and you appear cursed. We need leads. If this is a spirit, then what spirit and why?" Gene is using my body to walk around Aki in a calculating way. He speaks fast and doesn't give Aki a chance to interrupt.

"The only lead we do have is a dream that I've been having about an employee of yours who rather hated you but quite lusted over Akemi-san; a man with a bowl-cut hairstyle and scars on his face who liked to stalk your daughter. In my dreams this man feels that you are aware of his actions. Is this ringing any bells?" Gene ends his ramble with a slight leap onto Naru's desk so that he can sit manipulatively as the room waits for Aki's answer.

"Yoshito Ayumu," Aki says with a whispered gasp. His eyes narrow as he glares at my body, Gene wearing a sadistic smirk on my face. "How do you know that bastard, Ayumu?"

"I believe the introduction comes from you, Aki-san," Gene says. "As I said, I first learned of him through a few dreams and I only just learned his name from speaking with you." Aki attempts to intervene but Gene doesn't shut up. "Doubt my abilities all you'd like but you should really leave the spiritual investigation stuff up to the professionals anyway; unless you actually know what to do in these situations?"

He gives Aki an innocent 'maybe you do know what you're doing' look that irritates Aki to the point that he storms out of the office.

"I really do hate making an ass out of myself to difficult clients," Gene says. He turns to look at Naru. "Hopefully that name will help you out, Noll. Anyway, Mai isn't her best today so go easy on her." With that said he departs from my body and it collapses off of the desk; thankfully being caught by Monk.

I reenter my body and quickly awaken, shocked that I'm now lying on the couch. It seems more time has passed than I was expecting; night is close to coming again. Naru, Lin, and Yasu are searching frantically to find more information on Yoshito Ayumu. Lin had come across him while doing an employee scan on the first day, but didn't think anymore about the man except that he was the typical, unhappy, eight-to-five employee.

"Where's Monk?" I ask wearily. "And the others?"

The three of them pause for a second until Naru volunteers to answer me. He walks around the couch so that I can lie down and not struggle trying to look at them over the back of it. "You need to rest Mai. You've helped enough."

"You're not answering me," I whine, my head growing hotter as a headache forms. He presses me down to the couch so that I'm not sitting up at all. I can't tell if he's being gentle because he's genuinely concerned about me or because Gene told him to. Maybe both.

"Now that we know it's an individual spirit, Monk-san is preparing for an exorcism. While he sets up, Matsuzaki-san is placing warding spells in case the exorcism doesn't work and the spirit rebuttals."

"And Masako?" I say as a long coughing fit overcomes me and my breathing shallows a little.

I can see the concern in Naru's eyes now. "She's trying to reason with the spirit." I nod my head and then relax a little, finding that my tired body easily pulls me to sleep.

"You're a freak!" Aki is yelling at me as I stand within the base. _So the base is Aki's office then. I don't know why I didn't realize that before. _"I've told you more than once that you need to stay away from my daughter but you won't listen to reason so now I've decided to take matters into my own hands. Get out of my office and collect your belongings because you are no longer apart of this corporation!"

My body's shaking, shivering in anger, but I maintain my composure and exit the office. As soon as I'm on the ground floor I take a few minutes to grab my journal, turning it to the last page and grabbing a pen to place one final entry across the page.

_Fucking bastard. Let your daughter do as she wants. She and I could have lived together for eternity without your tyranny. May my hatred for you burn a curse through your soul and may your daughter join me in the afterlife. With the power of all my diaries filled with rage towards you and love towards her I swear I'll kill you._

_I need to tell Naru!_

I spring forward and dash to Naru's side. "Naru, I think it's like a curse or something," I say.

He continues to search through the mountain of employee paperwork; cursing Aki for not having adequate assistance to file it correctly.

Yasu teasingly thanks him for the offhanded compliment.

"Naru?" I say again but he continues to ignore me. _Maybe it's his way of telling me to go back to sleep. _"Fine! I'll sleep again then…" I walk back to the couch but then notice that I'm already laying there. _If my body's there?_ I look down and realize I'm transparent.

An eerie feeling crawls up my spine and I turn around. As I grasp that I've entered the astral plane, my view of the building distorts and I begin to see through the walls. From the second floor I notice Ayumu piling his small collection of personal items into a cardboard box. On the first floor I see Aki rushing Akemi out of the building. I fly down to them.

"What's going on dad?" Akemi asks.

"There's a lunatic in the building and I want to get you as far away from him as possible," Aki says as they head for the employee parking lot.

They disappear from my vision so I decided to find Ayumu again. When I do locate him he's riding the janitorial elevator to the basement floor. In there, he finds a specific locker and opens it up. I assume that the security guards are use to his presence, or maybe they aren't in the room and he sneaked down here. I don't see any other employees but I think it's because my vision has been limited to focus on Ayumu.

After adjusting the back of the locker he pushes it to reveal a small hole filled with a mound of notebooks.

'_He's filled _that_ many notebooks with his lust and hatred for the Aki's?_' I think with horror and disgust as Ayumu throws the notebook in his hand on top of the others. He closes the secret hole and then shuts the cubby before sneaking off with a special janitorial key. He goes back to the elevator and uses the key to ride up to the seventh floor.

I didn't realize the seventh floor needed special access. I can only imagine that Naru used a key while I wasn't paying attention or that the system was deactivated after the corporation's shutdown.

In a few minutes we've reached the seventh floor. Once there, he hurries down a hallway to avoid being seen by some business men who have exited a meeting room. He walks to the ladder leading to the roof and begins to climb. Soon we're on the roof and he has shut the door behind us.

Ayumu calmly walks over to the edge of the roof. "I'll come for you Akemi-chan," I hear him whisper.

"No! Ayumu-san don't do it!" I say, yelling and racing to him. But this is a vision, and the event has already passed, so I'm unable to stop him as he falls off of the edge and trails the building down into the warm cement walkway that covers the earth below.

Now I really have to tell Naru and the others. I race back to the roof's door but it won't open. With the vision over I'm back in the present which means the door much be locked. I bang my fist on the door and call for Naru's help. I jiggle the knob frantically and throw my weight against the door to no avail.

"Naru!" I say, yelling loudly. I can't sense a response. "Gene!" Still nothing. I'm a spirit so maybe Masako can sense me but as I shout her name the feeling of helplessness begins to overwhelm me. "Monk! Ayako! Yasu! John-san even!" I knew John wouldn't answer because he's in Australia still, but I don't feel anything from Monk or Ayako either. "Lin-san…" I say with a pleading tone… I've left him as my last hope.

Suddenly the door seems to explode. It's forced off of its hinges, landing roughly on the ground; splintered and torn apart in some places. I race to the door and find a white, ghastly stream of liquid light floating on the other side of the doorframe. The light is almost blinding but through the faint details I think I can make out a dragon.

"Are you one of Lin-san's shiki?" I ask. The moving beam of light seems similar to the ones that I've seen Lin summon on occasion. "Has he had his shiki watching over us all this time?"

The dragon-like shiki doesn't respond in any noticeable way. It simply turns and leads me back through the building, back to the others. The inside of the building is pitch-black and I can't tell if it's because of the astral plane or because the shiki is draining away the light, or, maybe the shiki is draining away the light because it's the astral plane…

I see the base though; that's at least lit up. But why am I moving? My body appears to be sitting up and talking to the others in an ominous way. _He tricked me._ _Ayumu must have tricked me into the vision in order to gain easier access over my body!_

"Fools!" Ayumu says as he forces my body to laugh hoarsely. "Soon Aki will be dead and then Akemi-chan and I will be together forever!"

"Crap," Monk says; he's in his traditional robes. "I really wish John was here right now. If I try to exorcise the spirit out of her body I'll end up killing her. She's too weak to handle anything I try."

I look at the shiki. "Please… do what you have to without killing me."

Half of a second is all it needs to slam through my physical body; forcing Ayumu out long enough for me to dive back into it.

"Thank-you for looking out for me Lin-san," I say weakly, holding my swelling navel where the shiki passed through. The others rush to my body as it falls to the ground. Another coughing fit overwhelms me and I taste the slightest hint of blood in my mouth as I feel a bruise forming on my gut. In a blur, it seems, I'm rushed to a hospital.

I black out and wake up in the hospital with an IV connected to a vein and a heart monitor clinging to my finger. I feel a tightness squeeze my arm and realize that I'm also wearing a blood pressure gauge.

"I was just about to leave," Naru says as he notices my consciousness. "After Monk-san has completed his exorcism you should find yourself getting better."

"His exorcism won't work," I say as he turns to leave. He twists back so I explain to him about the hidden journals. Then I fall asleep again and the rest I only know from what I was told by everyone else.

Piecing the rest of what they've told me together, Naru hurried to the others and told Monk to wait. The group takes the janitorial elevator to the basement and they begin searching for the journals but I wasn't specific enough on their location. Luckily, Gene had seen my dreams and visions too. He tells Masako where they are and she points them out to Naru.

"Look at all of these!" Monk exclaims as they pull up the mound of notebooks. Everyone, but Masako, grabs a hold of a book and starts to read.

"Wow, these are dark," Yasu says; his voice borders from seriousness to wanting to make a joke at Ayumu's expense.

"This is sick," Ayako says. She can't bring herself to finish the first page.

They collect the books into a large box and bring it to the ground floor.

"Even though this man has no previously known psychic abilities, his hate and unnatural desires for Akemi-san has created a curse. A spell made through text," Naru explains to everyone. "We'll cleanse the curse with fire and then Monk-san will be free to perform his exorcism."

"We should hurry," Masako says. "Ayumu-san has noticed our presence and is calculating his next move."

Aki's and Akemi's presence surprises the group as they enter into the large greeting room.

"What is all this?" Aki demands.

"We're about to take care of your problem, but first, we need to burn these," Naru says nonchalantly.

"What are they?" Akemi says. She sways in place a little. Her appearance has grown worst; her skin clammy and her cheeks sunk in a bit.

"They're notebooks about you and your father," Monk says. Akemi walks to the box and begins to read them; skimming through all the books that she stars in.

"Who wrote these?" she asks as she reads.

"His name is Yoshito Ayumu," Aki says.

"Who?" Akemi asks.

"Yoshito Ayumu…" Monk repeats for her.

She places the last book back into the box. "Never heard of him. Weird… Who did I give a pen to how ever many years ago? I must have handed out a hundred pens to coworkers who've forgotten them while working here…" She continues to think but then concludes that she honestly couldn't remember who Yoshito was.

In anger, Ayumu's spirit causes the chandeliers to shake and swivel; the lights in the room flickering on and off.

"Everyone, the gas could start pouring into the room at any minute," Naru says calmly. Ayako and Masako both start chanting warding spells while Lin summons his shiki to be on defense. Monk positions himself for the exorcism; waiting on Naru to finish the cleansing of the curse.

Naru casually digs out a lighter from his pocket, putting it up to his face is a curious way, almost as if he was examining it or whispering to it. With a flick he's starts a fire and lights a book. The paper notebooks burn quickly, being eaten up in a matter of seconds by the hungry flames. Afterwards, the cardboard box is consumed but then the fire fails to find another place to go; the floor made out of a resisting material causes its flames to grow weaker and weaker.

Monk begins his chant as Ayumu's spirit arrives, manifesting itself for all to see. He's become even more hysterical from the loss of his notebooks and he starts walking towards Naru, Aki, and Akemi. With each passing step, Monk's voice seems to grow louder; more audible, until its ringing across the room. The only one affected by this is Ayumu though.

Just as Ayumu is an arm's length away from Akemi, he grabs his head and lets out a scream of pain as his essence is dissolved from the room and building.

Silence follows the event for several minutes as everyone collects themselves.

"You should still go through with demolition or there's a chance he'll come back," Monk says to Aki.

He, Lin, and Yasu head back upstairs to the base so that they can start packing up the equipment. Ayako and Masako start collecting nearby cameras to help out.

Naru, however, walks up to Aki. "There shouldn't be any more gas leaks from now on." He says bluntly. Before following behind Monk and the others he adds, "You can expect my bill within the week."

Unseen by him or the others I know in my heart that this time, after having witnessed the exorcism with their own eyes, Aki and Akemi bowed to him in a silent 'thank-you.'

My eyes are heavy and weighed down but I force them open. The room I'm in is dark but there are lights from the nearby electronics illuminating the room in a soft glow. Gene greets me eagerly.

"Did we get him?" I say.

"We did," he says with a soft grin. I sit up easily and fist my hands together with happy excitement. "You can't be using your abilities so liberally though," he says; tensing up my cheerful atmosphere. "Everyone was really worried about you."

"I know… I'm sorry," I tell him. "To be honest I thought I was dreaming most of those times. I never realized I had projected my spirit until it was too late." He gives me an understanding look and I glance around the room. Ayako and Masako are draped over the edges of my hospital bed. Lin has fallen asleep at a desk and Monk and Yasu are leaning against one another and the wall, also sleeping.

"Where's Naru?" Gene points across the room and I turn my head. Naru's eyes are staring at me over the top of his laptop; the light from the screen casting spooky shadows across his face. "Oh hi," I say with a startled tone. "You didn't, by chance, hear all of that did you?"

"I did," he says. "It seems like you were having a very one-sided conversation." I laugh awkwardly and he goes on. "Now that the spirit is gone you should be able to heal quickly. Any negative aura that was stuck to you from the gas inhalation should have dispersed. The remedies the doctors provided will take care of any damage caused by that and then your spent energy looks as though it's already returning."

"That's great," I say.

"Yes, now sleep."

I lie down and close my eyes, but then open them again. "You know Naru?" His fingers, which had started typing on his keyboard, have now stopped to show that he's listening. "I was starting to get a little nervous about sleeping because of all of the dreams and out of body experiences. But with all of you here desperately trying to protect me and watch over me… I'm not too worried about it anymore. Thank-you."

I close my eyes again and stay conscious for a little while longer. Naru doesn't start typing on his keyboard right away and I wonder if he's watching me sleep. As I'm finally pulled into rest I start to hear the faint tapping of his keyboard.

**AN: This thing is soooooooooo looooooooong. Reviews please or Ayumu might haunt you! Or worst! ME!**

**Fast Facts #6: Akemi ( **明美**) means "bright, beautiful" and Aki ( **明**) means "bright"**

**Fast Facts #7: Yoshito ( **儀人**) means "ceremonial, correct person" and Ayumu ( **歩夢**) means "walk, dream, vision"**


	6. INVISIBLE CROW AT THE ORPHANAGE

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this and I'm not trying to sell any of it.**

**AN: Soo loooong. This chapter took me 4EVAR to write! I tried making a nice little story that involved animals and **_**this**_** is what I came up with. ( -_- ) Imma have to try again another time.**

CASE 5: Invisible Crow at the Orphanage

_As if they can last. But…_

A week or so has gone by since our case at the corporation, and life seems to be falling back into place now that Naru's here. It was a lot easier working with Madoka though… She's not as mean.

"Mai, I want tea," Naru's voice says from his office. _Ugh…_ I slouch in silent despair before standing quickly and walking to the small half-kitchen to brew some tea.

"Flip that frown upside down Mai-senpai," Yasu says, chortling as I walked passed him.

"Oh be quiet," I say, mumbling under my breath as I wait for the water to boil.

The days seem to drag on; we haven't had a single person come in for a case consultation and it's starting to irritate Naru. His life seems to revolve around business. Monk and Ayako stopped by regularly on the first few days after the last case, and even though he wasn't happy about their visits, Naru let them stay because he knows they were just checking up on me. They've since stopped coming by for extended periods of time because Naru's agitation level started to reach its peak.

Without Monk and Ayako though, the office is dull. Yasu is always nice company but he works less than I do because of his college classes, and of course neither Naru or Lin are talkers. I tried striking up a conversation with Naru at one point but he told me I should be making myself busy with work. _There's nothing for me to do though!_ With all the free time I have I always end up finishing my homework early, so I amble around the building boorishly.

Gene isn't much fun either. He knows I'm self-conscious about talking to him when Naru's around so he doesn't say much to me; in fact he doesn't turn up a lot while I'm at the office and I have a suspicious feeling that he's haunting Naru; watching him work.

"Mai… The kettle's been whistling for a while now," Yasu says to me; his hands over his ears. I take the kettle off, wondering how on earth I drowned out the noise. After the tea has finished brewing I set cups on a tray and fill them with said tea before proceeding over to Yasu; beginning my duties as SPR's Tea Waitress.

I place his cup beside his work on the table and then head into Lin's office, offering a quick knock before I enter; Naru can wait. He thanks me promptly for the tea and I quickly leave the room, sensing the "don't disturb me" vibe that he's emitting. As I walk the five steps to Naru's office, his door opens and I react swiftly, turning to the side, so that we don't collide.

As I recover from my near heart attack—I almost spilt piping hot tea—Naru walks passed me and heads for some of the small filing cabinets that hug a naked part of the wall; digging inside of one for whatever work he's found to do.

The door chimes, catching me off guard as I'm about to walk into his office. I set the tea down on the central table while Yasu moves his work so that the customer isn't disturbed. Naru walks by me casually, picking up a cup of tea and sipping while a young woman, with short black hair, and a small boy, with red-brown flyaway hair, enters into the main room.

"Hello," I say brightly, greeting our guests with a warm smile; Yasu smiles as well, but Naru ignores them.

The woman doesn't say 'hi' back to us. Her hand trembles slightly as she places it on the boy's shoulder.

"Please. We're from a far off orphanage. I heard about this place from a few of my colleagues at the office job I have and I was hoping that you'd take on our case."

"Well we can have a consultation about your case right now if you'd like?" I offer; Naru never accepts a case without hearing all of the facts first.

"That would be great," the woman's face lifts a little. I turn to Naru to see if he wants me to talk with her or if he will do it himself but he's already sitting down to discuss so I grab some papers to take notes. "And you are?" She says to Naru.

"Kazuya Shibuya." Naru says. "These are two of my assistants; Mai Taniyama-san and Osamu Yasuhara-san." I sit beside Naru with a clipboard and blank papers in hand. "Let's start with your names and then you can tell us your situation."

"My name is Noriko and I work part-time at the orphanage," the woman says before indicating the boy sitting beside her. "This is Kuro-kun; one of the orphans. I came here today because one of the children has begun to act… differently."

"Differently?" Yasu says; prompting her to continue.

"There's a girl, Kokoro-chan, who has a twin brother named Kōki-kun, but Kōki-kun passed away recently. Kokoro-chan has always been a strange girl, but after Kōki-kun died she's been acting even weirder."

Naru, as usual, is undisturbed by the news. Yasu and I on the other hand, are delved deep within her story. "What is she doing that you consider abnormal?" I say.

"I think she's talking to her dead brother," Noriko says.

"Is there anything substantially wrong with that?" I say, the words coming out of my mouth a little too forcefully. Yasu gives me a look that reads 'take it easy, Mai' and Naru gives me a glare that is mixed with interest.

Noriko doesn't seem to catch my attitude though; possibly thinking that I'm just posing a standard question. "She's always been able to see things so we aren't necessarily concerned with that itself. It's just, the orphanage is very small and it houses nothing but… problem children…" She gives Kuro a sympathetic look before continuing. "One child, Akio-kun, is normal, but he's the son of the woman who runs the orphanage so he isn't an orphan at all. Kuro-kun here… Well he's _very_ shy and closed off from the world. Then there's Kokoro-chan. She's considered a problem child because of her abilities; she speaks with the dead. Not including those three, the rest of the children are violent and mean-spirited; including Kōki-kun."

Noriko turns to Kuro and removes a bandage that's clinging around his neck. His bare neck reveals a strange rash; three red lines of irritated skin. "Kokoro-chan's new _friend_, whom I think is Kōki-kun, has been causing oddities with the children. Rashes like these will form on their backs, arms, legs, necks, anywhere really. Some of the kids have even started getting scratches." She lifts one of Kuro's arms and shows us weak scratches running across it. The scratches also come in groups of three.

"That's terrible," I say as we examine the rash and scratch marks.

"Why are you the one presenting this case and not the woman who runs the orphanage?" Naru says. I sense the slightest hint of aggravation in his voice and I wonder if he's sensitive because he used to live in an orphanage.

"Rei-san… She's extremely busy and it's hard for her to take time to come into the city. She's the only one who works at the orphanage full time and Yumi-san, the only other employee, and myself, can barely come by for a few hours a couple of days out of the week." Noriko says but Naru's eyeballing her so she keeps talking. "Believe me, Rei-san is very concerned but she honestly can't make it for a consultation like this."

"Alright," Naru says. "I'll take your case." He places his empty cup of tea on the tray and turns to me. "More tea, Mai," then he leaves for his office. Noriko is a little taken aback by his attitude.

"Sorry about that…" I say sheepishly. "Our boss is always a little—"

"He has hemorrhoids," Yasu cuts in. I gawk at him as Noriko's mouth drops in shock. "Don't get on his bad side," Yasu says with a brilliant smile.

"O-o-of c-c-c-course not!" Noriko stammers as she stands up. She and Kuro bow to us, and us to them, and they leave.

"Yasu," I say to my colleague in shock but he just continues to smile.

"Mai! Tea!" Naru's voice is on the verge of provocation and I fear that he's heard Yasu's comment. When I enter into Naru's office minutes later, the tray, carrying his freshly brewed tea, in hand, I'm not surprised to see that he's in a foul mood. I'm also not surprised to see Gene leaning against his desk, stifling his laughter as best as he can. _So they both heard Yasu's comment. I wonder if that means…_ I turn to look at the wall where I know that, right on the other side, Lin is sitting at his own desk. _Is he trying hard not to laugh too?_

"I'd appreciate it if you told your spirit companion to stop hovering next to me; my shoulder has gone numb from the cold and its affecting my work to the point that I'm considering asking Monk to perform an exorcism," Naru says blandly.

"What am I supposed to do about that?" I say as Gene wraps his arms around Naru, giving his brother a chilling hug that causes him to shiver.

"Keep him on a leash, Mai," Naru barks.

"He'll never stop being fun to tease," Gene says as we leave Naru's office.

The rest of the day, and the few days that followed before the case started, go by calmly. Soon, Naru, Lin and I are driving to the hills towards the small office; Yasu staying behind for school, and maybe because Naru is still angry with him. We won't be calling the others until we've assessed the situation further.

As we drive I wonder why Naru decided to take this case. Is it because he sympathizes with Kokoro-chan? Or maybe it's because we've had so few cases recently that he just wants to get out and do some field work for a change. Either way, the case itself doesn't seem too challenging and there aren't a lot of facts pointing to spiritual activity. With the orphanage being out in the mountains the strange rashes and cuts can all be attributed to playing outdoors and, since the kids are problem kids anyway, they could be lying about how they've obtained the marks.

The true oddity of the case is Kokoro and her ability to talk to spirits. Whether there's an actual ghost involved or not, I wonder if Naru is more interested in her. Only time and investigation will tell.

Soon we arrived at the small orphanage. It's a cross between a daycare and a house. Gym equipment sits hazardously atop the ground, threatening to tip over if trampled on to heavily. The main building itself looks like it only has four or five bedrooms, possible one main room used for dining and gathering, and then a separate kitchen. The surrounding trees drown out any nearby city noise though and I feel that the building is quaint. This wouldn't have been too bad of a place to grow up.

Shortly after we parked the van, three women usher five kids out of the building to greet us. I recognize Noriko and Kuro among the group. One of the other women looks to be about Noriko's age, somewhere in her mid twenties; she has a mean yet striking look and long golden curly hair which appears bleached. The other woman is in her thirties and she has an aged, though not exactly old, appearance which is not subdued from the low ponytail that her dark brown hair is tied in.

Out of the five children two are girls and three are boys. One girl has pigtail while the other has a high ponytail. The two other boys, aside from Kuro, both have short hair, but one of the boy's hair is a little more flyaway while the other's falls greasily across his forehead.

We hustle out of the van and walk to the women.

"Thank-you so much for coming," Noriko says with a bow. She indicates the older woman. "This is the woman who runs the orphanage, Rei-san." Then Noriko turns to the woman with the bleached hair. "This is my coworker, Yumi-san."

"Thank-you again for the visit. We can only hope that you three are able to resolve the issues we're having with Kokoro-chan," Rei says kindly. Her hand gestures towards the group of kids. "How about a brief introduction then?" The girl with the pigtails is called Fumiko, the girl with the ponytail is Etsuko, the boy with the short fly-away hair is Akio, her son, and then the last boy is Hayate.

"Where's Kokoro-chan?" I say, realizing that her name was never given to us. I glance across the kids, wondering if I missed one, and receive glares in return.

"_She_ decided that meeting you wouldn't be necessary so she stayed out back," Yumi says with more animosity then I was expecting. Her arms are folded across her chest and her body weight has positioned itself onto one leg. She scoffs at the thought of Kokoro and whips her head to the side, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"It isn't necessary. We need to establish a base and take measurements," Naru says. His expression is the same as it always is and yet I feel he's become agitated because of this woman. Orphanages must be a sore spot for him.

"But Na—I mean—boss, shouldn't we be talking to the main focus of this case?" I say. Noriko and Rei are now guiding us to a room they've cleared out for us to use as our base while Yumi is nitpicking the children; bickering to them about using their manners when guest are around.

"You want to be adopted don't you?" I hear her say as I round a corner and start down a hall.

"None of them are here to adopt us anyway!" Though shouted, the little boy's voice fades as I draw further away and then their conversation is lost to me.

"If you want to go talk to her then by all means, do it. Lin will just have to pick up your slack," Naru says, bringing my focus away from its distraction. I give Lin an exasperated look but he shrugs it off and tells me to do what I must. With a quick thanks to Lin I head for the back of the orphanage. I'm surprised to find the kids in the backyard; they must have hurried away from Yumi as soon as they could.

"Hi!" I say gleefully. _Kids can be so cute. Maybe they were just in a bad mood earlier._

"What are you happy about lady?" The greasy haired kid, Hayate, says. His hands are in his pockets and a dark scowl is etched across his face. He kicks at a rock and begins to ignore me, apparently not wanting an answer to his question.

"Go back to the freak show," one of the girls, Etsuko says. She snaps her head to the side as she turns away from me quickly; her ponytail bouncing neatly in time with her pace as she leads the kids, now snickering, away from me._ What a bunch of rude kids!_ Akio and Kuro follow suit, though Kuro does bow and apologize to me before leaving.

I continue along the back of the building until I happen upon a small girl with long midnight-black hair. Her bangs sweep squarely over her eyebrows and her hair is so long that it hangs before her knees, the ends tied in a thick hair tie. She's almost completely hidden by the building's shadow but it's because of her cat that I've become aware of her. This must be Kokoro-chan.

"That's a cute little cat," I say as I walk up to her. She sitting on the ground, a large calico cat lying in her lap.

"You can see my cat?" Kokoro says. Her voice is uncomfortably deep yet almost overpowered by the cawing of a nearby crow.

"Yeah… Why wouldn't I be able to?" I say back, trying to keep a smile on my face. _This girl is a little… _Oh but I shouldn't start thinking that way. I come across all sorts of weird things and it's not her fault.

"Mai, have you found the child?" Naru says, walking up to us briskly. His head turns to Kokoro, answering his own question as he comes closer to us. I wonder what made him decide to meet her after he said the introductions didn't matter.

"Leave me alone," Kokoro says, her voice raising a little. She's staring at Naru intensely, as if sensing that he's up to something no good or maybe he knows something he shouldn't.

"Excuse me?" Naru says back. His voice is chilled and subdued as always. _Does he never give an inch? Not even to children?_

"I don't want you studying me!" Kokoro says as she stands; the cat still tucked away in her arms. _What does she mean by study? Who would have told her that?_

"Kokoro-chan… We aren't necessarily stu—" I try to say but she cuts me off.

"Shut up! You think I'm creepy just like the other kids." Then she turns to Naru. "And you! Stop looking at me with those cold eyes!" Her voice isn't deep anymore, sounding high pitched and squeaky like any girl's her age ought to.

"I honestly don't have time for this," Naru says while turning around and leaving. _What was the point if coming over to us if you were just going to go?_

"You sure are an interesting little girl." Suddenly Gene has appeared. I hold back a gasp as I grab my chest. My heart is beating fast; it's not often that Gene surprises me anymore.

"Who's that?" Kokoro says. Her eyes are surveying Gene animatedly.

"This is Naru's twin brother Gene," I say. She looks at me puzzled so I introduce us to her. "I'm Mai and I work for Naru. We're here investigating the odd attacks that are going on here. You know, you and Naru aren't that different. You both have brothers watching over you, though, you get to see your brother still while Naru can't see his. We're here because the staff is concerned that your brother is hurting people."

"I know why you're here," she says forcefully. "So that's why he…" Kokoro bites her lower lip before continuing. "It doesn't matter." I feel like she knows something that would be impossible for her to know.

"Please tell us," I say. "We really are trying to help."

Kokoro studies me for several minutes before deciding that I'm okay to trust. As she relaxes within my presence I hear the flaps of large wings. I turn towards the noise and see a large crow flying in our direction; landing on Kokoro's shoulder. "This is my brother Kōki-nii," she says; her voice has dropped again.

"This crow is Kōki-kun?" I ask. _How is that possible?_

Her expression jumps from admiring her brother's sleek and feathered form to glaring at me. "You don't believe me?"

"That's not what I meant," I try to defend my statement. "I just haven't come across a case where a little boy turned into a crow."

"Then what good are you to me?"

"W-well that's why Naru's the boss isn't it?" I say. _Damn this girl is hard to impress._

Kokoro sits down again, leaning against the side of the building with the bird on her shoulder and the cat on her lap. "Everyone thinks I'm heartless because I don't cry over Kōki-nii's death… But how can I? He isn't gone. He's right here." She scratches the cat's head for a second and nuzzles her head against the bird's body. "How can I morn someone when they're right next to me?"

I feel like I can understand her a little. _Is this how Naru feels? Is this why he's so keen for Gene to cross over; because he finally wants to mourn and can't knowing that Gene is always as far away as I am?_

"Could you just leave me alone now, please," Kokoro says. I oblige, not wanting to overstep her boundaries.

"Any idea why Kōki-kun is still here?" Gene says to me as we enter into the orphanage, using the backdoor which leads into the kitchen.

"I assume Kokoro-chan is bullied and Kōki-kun is a protective older brother that wants to stay and defend her," I say.

"What makes you assume that?"

"It's common sense. Kokoro comes off as rash and spooky so the other kids would naturally fear her for that and want to ridicule her; which we already know they do."

"And if you disregard all of that what does your gut tell you?"

We've come to the base and I stand outside of the entrance; pondering my answer. "I'd think the same thing."

"I want you to start keeping a second journal," Gene says. "This one will be for your intuition, but unlike your dream journal which you keep in your bag, I want this one on your person at all times. Every time you feel the slightest hint of intuition you _must_ write it down."

"What? Why?" I say. How am I supposed to tell the difference between common sense and intuition?

"Starting with your feelings about Kōki-kun," Gene says before fading away. Apparently we won't be discussing this further.

I walk into the now setup base and head over to my boss who has begun tapping away at his computer. "Do you have a small, pocket-sized notebook?" I ask.

"For?"

"You heard the conversation." _He doesn't have to act like he doesn't know I talk to Gene all the time._

"I heard _'I'd think the same thing'_ and _'what, why'_," Naru says, never looking away from his monitor.

"Oh right… you can't hear _him," _I say, mumbling to myself for being stupid. "I need to start writing down any intuitive feelings I get." Then I turn towards the center of the room, raising my voice to Gene, though I don't know where he's hidden himself. "But why do I have to write it down _every_ time?" Writing down random thoughts every time I have them is going to be embarrassing and inconvenient… _Especially at school._

Naru stands from his desk and walks over to some boxes which appear to be filled with office supplies. He moves some of the contents aside and brings up a small, yellow notebook. It actually resembles a really thick memo pad. "It's so that you can grow through realization. By writing down your feelings every time you come across them you can learn to recognize the difference between intuition and thought," he says as he hands me the note book.

"Oh," I say, opening it up to write down the first thought. "Th-thanks."

Naru ignores my show of gratitude and goes to his desk to continue working. _What is he even working on? We just got here. _Because I'm not with Kokoro anymore Naru tells me to start measuring all the rooms; a feat done with great difficulty. The children decide I'm fun to screw around with so they keep jumping on me and throwing toys at me or messing up the tape measure.

I wish I could forgo the task and talk with Kokoro again but she seemed to go missing for the rest of the day and didn't return until night had fallen; joining us to eat dinner.

"Why did you bring your cat?" I say as we eat; Kokoro is sitting next to me along the long table we all sit at, that cat resting snuggly on her lap. I notice the others stop eating long enough to stare at me.

Suddenly the girl with the pigtails starts to talk. "Mom," she says, referring to Rei. "Why is that girl encouraging Kokoro to lie about that stupid cat?"

"Don't talk carelessly about our guests Fumiko-chan," Rei says to her.

"I don't…" I turn to Naru; confused about their reaction, but he doesn't give me any reassuring answer, choosing to focus his attention elsewhere.

"Mai," Kokoro says to me; her voice barely a whisper. "We're the only ones who can see the cat." I take another quick look at Naru but his eyes are still transfixed on the little girl. I decide to drop the question, it was just small talk anyway, and we continue the dinner in near silence; apparently I ruined the mood by bringing up the cat.

Once we are done eating, Naru, Lin, and I walk back to the base; Lin locking the door behind us so that the rambunctious children can't sneak in.

"What are you thinking Naru?" Lin says as they take their seats at their desks. _I swear these guys are in love with their computers._

"That cat seems to be the only lead at the moment," Naru says.

"Why? It's just a normal, friendly cat," I say. _Do they suspect the cat because neither of them can see it?_

"Cat's are known to become demonic by Japanese standards. You're Japanese; shouldn't you know your own culture?" Naru says flatly. _Ouch._

"What? Of course I know about the bakeneko," I say; my voice irritable. _Why does he always feel the need to undermine me?_

"Oh really? So if I asked you to describe to me what a bakeneko was, you'd be able to?"

_This guy!_ "A bakeneko is a cat that… well… it's a demon… right?" _I suck._ Naru sighs audibly so I try to redeem myself. "Look you don't hear a lot about them nowadays and it's not like a lot of the old stories are written down. Besides, regardless of the stories the key factor is that a bakeneko has two tails and Kokoro-chan's cat only has one."

"That doesn't mean that it can't change," Naru says.

"I'm telling you the cat is fine," I say.

He finally looks away from his computer, glancing at me. "Then write that declarative feeling in your note pad."

The discussion ends with that comment and, after writing the feeling down, I decide to see if Rei wants help with the dishes or any other chores. It must be rough taking care of six kids on her own, especially since her help is only with her for a short period of time. And there used to be seven kids even. No wonder Noriko said Rei wasn't able to take the time to see us for the consultation.

Rei's grateful for the help and together we pick up abandoned toys and wash the dirtied dishes. A few hours go by and the house is relatively quiet as the children sleep in their rooms. Eventually I grow bored from the lack of activity and decide to go back to the base.

"Where am I sleeping tonight?" I ask Naru. No one showed me where the spare rooms were and all of the rooms I measured were occupied by either Rei or the kids.

"There's a couch right over there," Naru says; nodding his head to the opposite side of the small room.

"If I'm sleeping on the couch where are you two going to sleep?" I say. They ignore me so I decide to sprawl out on the couch and make myself as comfy as possible. It takes a while for me to fall asleep and I reposition myself more times than I can keep track of. Eventually I end up with my face buried into the couch seat with my arms wrapped around my head; trying to block out the lights and the sound of their fingers racing across the keyboards to their laptops.

I still haven't received my laptop from Naru; he just takes the time to update my new dreams into his computer each afternoon when I come to work.

I wonder if he's forgotten.

I hear Lin clear his throat suddenly.

Now I can hear Naru standing and walking out of the room. _Maybe he's using the bathroom?_

More time passes and my mind begins to clear as sleep forces itself on me.

After a while longer I open my eyes and lift my head up. _It's already morning?_ The sun is streaming into the room and there are birds chirping outside. I look over to Naru and Lin and see them studying their computer monitors astutely.

"You two are going to need glasses when you get older," I say.

"I'm already near my thirties and still haven't developed a need for them," Lin says.

"My family has perfect vision," Naru says.

_I suppose if his family has perfect vision then genetics probably show that he_—"Hey! You're adopted, though," I say. He takes a second to smirk at me and then goes back to his computer.

"Did you have any dreams?" says Naru.

"Well I…" I consider his question for a second. "No."

"I see."

With no conversation following, I decide to look for Kokoro-chan. I have no idea what Naru and Lin are working on and I don't have any leads since I didn't dream, but what I do know is that this case involved a little girl who could talk with the dead, her dead brother, who was taking the form of a crow apparently, and a dead cat. Kokoro-chan is my best bet for gathering clues and I don't know why Naru and Lin aren't putting in more effort to investigate her.

"You're creepy Kokoro!"

"Just let the psychic's take you home with them freak!"

"I don't like living with someone as heartless as you!"

As I step out into the backyard I find the orphan children circled around Kokoro. Fumiko and Etsuko have started shoving her back and forth across the circle while Hayate watches sadistically, a tantalizing grin across his face. Akio looks on hesitantly, his expression mixed with interest and regret. Kuro looks like he wants to stop the abuse but is afraid he'll be beat up.

"What are you kids doing?" I say, hurrying to the group and separating Kokoro from the others. "You shouldn't treat her like that."

"What do you know baa-san?" Hayate says.

"B-baa-san?" I said. _I'm not _that_ old. _The four bullies start snickering, their faces appearing possessed though I can't sense any spirits in them. "What's wrong with you kids?" _Are they really this cruel?_

As I question them, a nearby crow flies down to us from the top of a close tree. The crow caws and swoops at the kids, slashing its talons across their bodies before circling around for another attack.

"Oh no! It's happening again," Fumiko says as the group disperses and runs into the house.

"Well that explains the marks," I say, making a mental note of the attack. I turn to Kokoro in time to see the crow land heavily on her small shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Happens all the time," she says, her voice unusually low again as she shrugs off the attack like it was nothing. "They can't see him by the way." Kokoro turns away from me and starts walking to the woods surrounding the back of the orphanage. Her back and calves are covered in smeared dirt and mud.

"Kokoro-chan? Did they throw dirt at you? How can you act like this is no big deal?"

For a second she takes the time to look at me over her shoulder, her face gaunt and expressionless until a small smile spreads her lips. "I know I'll be okay because Kōki-nii will take care of me."

"I don't like Kōki-kun anymore," Kuro says, running back to join us now that Kōki's onslaught is over.

"What do you want?" Kokoro asks him harshly.

"I just wanted to say sorry for not sticking up for you," Kuro mumbles under his ragged breath.

Kokoro turns away from us again. "I don't need a weakling apologizing to me." As she continues to walk away, Kōki leaps off her shoulder and rounds on Kuro, digging his talons into his flesh. With a sharp yelp, Kuro sprints back to the orphanage, holding his arm close to his body as a small trail of blood licks its way across his skin.

I hurry to catch up with Kokoro who is making quick progress through the trees.

"Why did they start attacking you?" I say as we continue down a dirt path to a place unknown.

"For talking to the cat." She says; continuing forwards without bothering to look back at me.

"Where is—"

"He ran off."

"Oh but—"

Kokoro finally turns to me. "Would you leave me alone? I don't want your company."

Her tone catches me off guard and I stop in my tracks, watching despairingly as she continues deeper into the forest. _Should I follow her? Maybe it'd be best to check on the kids; they were just attacked after all. _With that in mind I turn back to the orphanage, finding the kids gathered around Yumi who is bandaging them up.

"That child needs to keep a better control on her brother," Yumi says, muttering hoarsely to herself as she wraps Kuro's arm. Her eyes seem heavy. How can she blame anything on Kokoro? She, Rei, and the children can't see the crow anyway. There's no way for them to know who or what is at fault.

"It's not Kokoro-chan's fault, it's that crow," I say as I enter into the kitchen where they are gathered. It's strange trying to blame a creature that's invisible to them.

"That crow is only here because she's too weak to handle any of this herself," Yumi says, barking back at me.

"Excuse me? Maybe if these kids weren't so mean spirited she wouldn't feel so cast out," I argue.

"They're _problem_ children, it's in their nature," Yumi says, her voice raising. _Doesn't that logic mean it's in Kokoro's nature to be odd then?_

"That is not an excuse for poor rearing," I say. It's a closed off mind, like the one this woman has, that teaches the kids to treat Kokoro the way they are.

"Are you questioning how we're bringing up these children?"

"I am!"

"Mai!" Our arguing stops as we turn to Naru, who's standing at the doorway connected to the dining room. "Come with me," he says sternly. He must have heard the entire fight.

I follow him back to the base where he stands pointedly in front of me. "Why do you think it's alright for you to argue with our client?" he says. His voice is also deeper than usual and his expression is cross.

"I just…" I say, trying to defend myself. I shouldn't be arguing with the clients though. "She was saying that it was Kokoro-chan's fault that the kids were attacked by the crow."

"The crow…" Naru says intrigued. I think this may be the first time the crow was brought to his attention.

"Hey Naru," I start to say, "Do you know how Kōki-kun died?" I'm assuming that with all the work he's been doing he was able to pull up this kind of information.

"He drowned. His body was found on a nearby riverbank."

My eyes widen. _He drowned? _I rush away from the room. _My mind needs to make up its mind darn it. Should I stay in the orphanage or find Kokoro? _It's too late to decide though, I realize, as my legs carry me back through the woods. Running as fast as I can I draw closer to where I separated from Kokoro and soon I can't recognize my surroundings. Within a few more minutes I hear the sound of water running. There's a brook just on the other side of some bushes and I find Kokoro sitting along the edge of the river.

"Help us!" I hear Kokoro cry and a sense of panic rushes over me. I don't know where her fear is coming from; she's just sitting normally, but in a matter of seconds I'm by her side.

"A-are you okay?" the words rush out of my mouth. She responds by giving me a look that tells me I'm stupid and it's then that I realize the feelings and voice that I experienced must have been spiritual. I take a moment to jot them down in my small notebook.

"I thought I told you to leave me alone," Kokoro says coolly as she looks back to the river.

"I wanted to ask how your brother…" I started to say.

"In the rainy season this river expands dramatically and the current get's stronger. We aren't allowed to play near it at those times but that idiot, Hayate, decided to torment our orphanage's cat. He dragged it up a tree. I followed him up, hoping to stop him, but despite my efforts he threw the cat into the water." Her eyes look hollow as she tells her story, that deep, empty voice of hers sending chills up my spine. Now I know how my friends feel when I tell ghost stories. "After that he pushed me in too. Even before nii-san died I was greatly feared and disliked."

"I wish I could say that I can't believe Hayate-kun would do that to you," I say softly.

"Kōki-nii jumped in after me. With great effort he was able to pull me back to the riverbank but then he was swept away by the current. Later both he and the cat were found dead. That's when I started to see their spirits; though Kōki-nii took the form of a crow."

I wanted to hold her and comfort her. She seemed unapproachable though.

"It's okay. You can hold me."

_What?_ "Kokoro-chan… how did you—" I start to say. She couldn't possibly…

"I _can_ read minds. That's how I know this crow is Kōki-nii," Kokoro says as the crow flies over to us.

"C-could you prove it?" I say.

"You're boss is always at the back of your mind. At the moment, though, you're wondering why Kōki-nii would choose to be a crow," She says icily. "This is one of the reasons I'm hated so much."

My arms rush around her hurriedly as I pull her close for a hug. I can't believe this poor little girl has to go through so much. Her body starts to shiver and I hear her sniffle; she's crying but trying to hide it. After several minutes her tears come to an end and I finally release her from my embrace. Maybe I should change the topic?

"So what does Naru think about?" I ask.

"Himself."

I laugh but I feel she may actually be hiding something more.

"I don't think its right to reveal someone's personal secrets," she says and I decide not to press the matter.

"You really are a good little girl," I say as I place my hand on her head and pat her the way Monk normally does to me. She gives me a look of confusion. Should she accept my praise or am I trying to ridicule her? The poor thing isn't used to affection. I grab her hand and stand up, leading her back to the base.

The kitchen grows quiet as the kids, Rei, and Yumi watch us enter from the backyard; they've decided to have lunch.

"And what are you two up to today?" Rei asks us and I'm glad to note that she isn't nearly as livid as Yumi normally is.

"I'm going to take her to my boss for a bit," I say and then my stomach growls.

Rei's face softens a little and she grabs a tray, filling it with onigiri, sandwiches, and salad. "I normally just make a lot of simple food for lunch because the kids eat so much. Bring this with you so that you can all eat something while you work," she says cheerfully as she hands me the heavy tray. I do my best to hold it with one hand, my other still grasping Kokoro's, and we continue to the base.

"Rei gave us some food," I say as we enter the base. Naru and Lin don't make any attempt to grab a bite to eat so I set the tray on a table and Kokoro and I help ourselves. "So… Kokoro-chan… do you mind if I tell him?" I ask after we've eaten a little.

"He already suspects so go ahead," Kokoro says.

Naru is staring at me when I turn to him. "Kokoro-chan can read minds."

He makes no sign of hesitation and simply stands from his desk and walks over to us. As he joins us on the couch he pulls a deck of playing cards out of a pocket from the inside of his coat. After he has shuffled the cards he slides them, upside down, across the table. Then he picks a random card and keeps its image hidden from us.

"Ace of hearts," Kokoro says. He places the card face up on the table, revealing the ace of hearts, before grabbing another card. "Queen of diamonds." He places the card down and then grabs another. "Four of spades." Then another. "Six of hearts." They go through the entire deck until the cards are all piled on top of one another.

"How can you know what those cards are?" I say as I turn to Kokoro.

"I create an image of the card in my head and she reads the image," Naru says; explaining as he puts the cards back in their small box. He brushes past us and pauses when he's beside Kokoro. "You have a very special talent." Then he walks back to his desk.

'_Luck duck,'_ I think, Naru barely ever compliments me, but I'm happy for her; she's finally found a reason to smile. Kokoro curls up into a ball as she tries to hide the grin on her face, not used to feeling happy or complimented.

Screams soon echo their way to the base as we sit and rest, interrupting our lunch. Naru, Lin, Kokoro, and I hurry to the sound, making our way to the backyard. The kids are fleeing from the crow; though to their knowledge they only know some invisible force is attacking them.

"Kōki-kun, please stop this," I say as we exit the building, but the crow doesn't listen. "Why is he doing this?" I look at Kokoro.

Her face, which had held a beautiful smile only moments ago, is back to its uncaring yet melancholic appearance. "They were scheming to attack me again."

"Is that why you don't ask him to stop?" Naru says bluntly.

"Kōki-nii told me he would stay by my side for as long as I need him," she says.

This is getting us no where though. I hurry to the kids, hoping to stop Kōki-kun's attack. Soon Monk's chant is rushing from my lips; I'm not as strong as he is but the bird dashes away from my words, finally ending his attack on the kids. I check on the children, hoping that none of them are seriously injured, while Naru talks to Kokoro.

"I have a special power just like you," Naru starts to say. "I can't read minds, but I can move objects. When I was your age I had no control over the ability and it would scare the other children. I was living in an orphanage just like you are now." He looks down to her and his face is stern yet sincere. "The children would taunt me as well, but I would throw objects at them and turn the whole room upside down if I wanted to. The only one who could stop me was Gene."

It's odd listening to Naru talk about his childhood and I find myself feeling happy that he isn't like that anymore. Still, it's strange thinking that even Naru had a rough past.

"Once we were adopted I soon learned that no one would ever look to me as a respectable individual if I resorted to violence." Naru kneels to the ground so that he's at eye level with Kokoro. "It's fine that you want to rely on your brother, but you need to learn to rely on yourself too. And, since he's a spirit, all of this negativity can start to affect him."

Suddenly I remember a lesson Gene had taught me a little over two months ago, shortly before Naru and Lin found his body. He had told me that spirits who haunt are weighed down by negativity and it's only when they're shown and given a high volume of positivity that they can move on; free from the chains binding them in place. It's still hard for me to recognize _positivity_ and _negativity_ as types of power, but hearing Naru talk about it helps me connect the dots a little. The affect of positivity is the reason why I need to speak openly and sincerely to the spirits.

"But… If I stop relying on him then there won't be any point to him staying here." Kokoro's face squints up and tears begin trickling down her cheeks. "Then nii-san really will be gone!" Suddenly she's crying and wrapping her arms around Naru's neck, burying her face in his shoulder as she sobs loudly. Naru gives me an uncomfortable 'do something' look but I shrug at him; she wants him to comfort her. He awkwardly hugs her back and lifts her off of the ground.

While Naru stands up, holding Kokoro is a gentle-ish embrace, the kids around me give her a sympathetic look. It must be uncomfortable for them to see her cry when she normally takes their abuse without a fuss. Is it odd for them to see her expressing emotion? Gene finally appears again, standing next to his brother.

"Kokoro-chan," Gene says. "Even if Kōki-kun crosses over, there's still going to be a part of him that watches over you. Take Noll for example. He can't see or hear me, but he knows that I'm here helping him through Mai."

Suddenly Yumi slams the back door open and rushes outside, probably having been told about the commotion from Rei, who had been watching us fight off the crow from within the orphanage. Before she can get a word out, Kōki is back, this time directing his attack at her.

"Kōki-nii, please, stop," Kokoro says as Yumi cowers to the ground, her arms shielding her head as Kōki swoops down at her. In a heartbeat the crow changes directions and heads towards Kokoro, deciding to attack _her_ now.

"Kōki-kun what are you doing?" I yell. "That's your sister! Didn't you stay to protect her?" The bird stops in midflight and then drops to the ground, staring amenably at me. Naru sets Kokoro back onto the ground so that she can rush over to the crow and give him a hug; I take the time to keep talking. "I know you care deeply for your sister, but this is going too far. While protecting her is a great thing it's having negative impacts on her life. If you truly care for her then you would cross over and watch her from a distance so that she can live her life like any girl her age should; with peace and friends."

The bird looks at Kokoro and she returns his gaze with an apologetic expression, telling him that she agrees with me. He glows for a second and then grows, his body stretching and distorting until he has taken on the appearance of a small boy maybe half an inch taller than Kokoro. He gives his sister a brief hug before shining brightly and crossing over.

The event leaves the residence and employees of the orphanage feeling closed off and distant. The children are less rambunctious and sit around the house doing nothing while Yumi avoids us. Rei and Noriko, who finally made an appearance shortly after Kōki's crossover, busy themselves in the kitchen. I found myself alone as well. Kokoro, after taking a sudden liking to Naru, is now sitting on his lap while he works in the base, so I decide to explore the grounds for a while. There isn't anything left to do. The case is solved and we didn't even called for backup.

In the morning of the next day—I went another night without a dream—I asked Kokoro where her cat went; I wasn't able to find him at all while I explored the grounds and she had fallen asleep by the time I got back.

"He decided it was a good time to move on as well," Kokoro says.

"See Naru, I told you it was a regular cat," I mumble to my boss.

"Now I don't have _any_ friends," Kokoro says quietly, her voice falling to a whisper again. A twinge of guilt shoots through my gut.

As we are saying our goodbyes, well I was saying my goodbyes anyway; all of the stuff had already been loaded into the van. Naru takes a second to dig a business card from out of his pocket and then hand it to Kokoro. "If you ever want to learn more about your abilities then contact them."

"Who are they?" Kokoro says as she examines the card.

"It's the British division of SPR," Naru says before turning away and leaving the building. It's time to go. I give Kokoro a quick hug and say my farewells to everyone.

"British division huh?" I say to Naru as I climb into the back of the van. "Isn't that more like the main division while this is just a branching company?"

"It's still a division Mai," Naru says, giving me a plastic smile. Apparently _Shibuya Psychic Research_ outranks the British SPR as long as Naru is involved.

As we pull away, the orphanage residents waiving to us, I notice a crow caw to Kokoro, grabbing her attention.

"Is he back?" I ask Naru.

"No, I can see the crow now. Crows are probably her spirit animal," Naru says.

"Spirit animal?"

"Have Gene explain. I'm tired." Naru says snappishly.

_You wouldn't be tired if you actually slept during a case._ I turn to Gene who has appeared beside me.

"Simply put a spirit animal is an animal that you connect with. You share traits and characteristics with this animal and it means something to you," he explains.

"Huh?" I say. He laughs at me while I try to take in what he's telling me.

There's still a lot I have left to learn.

**AN: Yet another chapter completed. Reviews/Comments/Thoughts/Opinions/Critiques are always welcome!**

**Fast Facts #8: Noriko ( **典子**) means "lawful child", Rei ( **麗**) means "lovely", Yumi ( **由美 **) means "reason, beautiful", and Akio ( **昭夫 **) means "bright man"**

**Fast Facts #9: Kuro ( **九郎 **) means "ninth son" (but Google Translate says it means "Crow" so now I'm questioning the validity of this Japanese Name website I've been using…), Fumiko ( **富美子**) means "child of abundant beauty", Etsuko ( **悦子**) means "child of joy", and Hayate ( **颯**) means "smooth"**

**Fast Facts #10: Kokoro ( **心**) means "soul, heart" and Kōki ( **光希**) means "light, hope"**


	7. ABANDONED HOUSE!

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this and I'm not trying to sell any of it. **

**AN: Just another personal case to pass the time. I love writing this story but the long chapters take SO MUCH out of me -_- It's my own fault though so I guess I shouldn't complain.**

PERSONAL CASE: ABANDONED HOUSE!

…_we laugh and we cry, it seems_

"Oh man, I am exhausted," I say as I make my way home from work. The days seemed to be getting shorter; the sun is already starting to set. Naru has finally given me a laptop, but felt the need to keep me longer than normal so that he could go over the rules._ I better get paid overtime because of that._

"Do _not_ eat or drink anything when using this," Gene says; making his best impression of Naru as he recites one of the rules; his normally happy face now carrying a heavy frown.

I chuckle from his acute reenactment before doing one myself. "This is not your personal toy, Mai. This is company property and it has to stay here when you aren't working." I try lowering my voice and cross my arms over my shoulders to give off a superior air.

Gene snickers. "That was pretty good. Mine was better though." He says the last part a little too smugly.

"At least I didn't have to cheat to do my impression," I say wryly.

"Being his twin doesn't make me a cheater," Gene says. We start a playful argument; not trying to win the fight but arguing our silly cases for arguments sake. It occupies my time nicely as I walk home. Ever since the incident where I cleansed the ghost in the park I've been finding new ways to walk home. I had always avoided that park because I was afraid of the spirit but after I finally faced those fears head-on I wanted to challenge myself.

I haven't come across too many spirits while venturing down each new path, and for the spirits I have come across, I haven't been able to cleanse a lot of them, but I also haven't come across any negative spirits yet. I think tonight will be different though. Tonight I'll be walking down a street that contains an abandoned house secluded from the other buildings in the neighborhood.

"It's not like I can help my genetics," Gene says as we finally reach the outskirts of the neighborhood. The house should be revealing itself to us soon and I shiver slightly; though from fear or the cold wind rushing past me, I'm not sure.

"Yes but you were using the fact that you have the same face to play the role for you instead of acting it out like a true impression," I say. My point is petty but it keeps my mind off of the looming feeling that is starting to twist my stomach into knots.

"That's what an expression is though," Gene says but I can barely hear him now. We've finally arrived and the house's appearance drowns out all the noise trying to cloud my mind.

"Where's the laughter coming from?" I say. I'm staring up at the dwelling from outside its green iron gates, my hand resting atop one of the rusted bars.

"What laughter?"

_Who's giggling in there? _The building I stand before is old and shakes with each touch of the wind; its wooden frame groaning as it tilts slightly in time with the push. Shingles are sliding off the roof, clumping together along the drain pipes; some of them have even fallen into piles on the ground. Windows are cracked and broken and the roof looks like it was carved out in areas; gaping holes opening it up to the night.

_But where is the laughing coming from? _I look from one window to the next, trying to scan the house for a child as the wind carries the sound of innocent laughter to my ears. _But I don't see any—there!_ At the top floor, peaking out at me from the window is the form of a person. They're so high up though that I can barely make out who it is.

_A child shouldn't be in a place like this! _

I hesitate for a second, glancing up and down the street to see if anyone is watching before I open the creaky gate, and walk briskly to the front door.

"It's dangerous."

I ignore the voice and continue on. The door creeks open a few inches as I walk up to it so I gently push it forward. With my foot about to cross into the threshold the voice calls to me again.

"Mai stop!"

_No…_ It's a different voice, faint, and I can barely hear it as I step into the house and out of the doorway.

A loud bang echoes behind me. I turn around quickly, my eyes wide and my heart racing as I realize the door has slammed itself shut.

"Heh… must be the wind," I say to myself out loud before turning back to the inside of the house.

The entrance is dark and dreary; filled with an inch of dust and spider webs. Small pebbles and shards of glass are scattered across the floor and I can make out a few broken beer bottles. I pull out my cell phone and turn on the flashlight app so that I can see where I'm going.

_What's that?_ I glance to my left but there isn't anything there but I could swear I just saw something thick and white stream by like smoke. I move my hand around the room, trying to get a better view of things. The furniture is covered in dirty, yellow stained cloth. Some of the wooden chairs and tables have had their legs ripped off and lay against the walls unsteadily.

A roaming rat scares me into the next room; a dining room with a low seated table that looks wet and soggy. Four moth-eaten and tattered cushions surround the table and bugs and worms slink across the floor. I gasp and hurry forward, entering into a small kitchen. The kitchen is covered in moldy, dirty cracked tiles and a rusty sink lies on the floor by the counter. The walls bulge at the presence of air pockets.

My breathing feels heavy from the dust being kicked up as I walk so I turn around and head back to where I came. I entered the house to help the kid after all. _I hope that rat is gone._

"Hee hee hee."

"Heh heh heh."

"Ha ha ha."

My cell phone suddenly powers off as the laughter calls to me from a staircase I missed when I first came into the dwelling. I walk to it and take a step, feeling the stair start to sink and moan from my weight. I keep my feet at the edge of each step in hopes of not falling through the wood. Halfway up and my foot slips, falling heavily into the mushy step and breaking it. My leg enters into the staircase and I reach for the support beam while I stifle a scream. My hand has sunk into a spider web in its desperate search for support.

I watch terrifyingly as a large, black spider that's decorated in gold, scurries across its web to my hand. My hand jerks away from it and I lose balance; falling a little more into the step. I move my fingers along the steps a few paces ahead of me until I find one that won't succumb to my body weight. Once they're positioned, I yank my body up, forcing my leg out of the broken step's grip.

"Ahh!" Splintered wood digs and scrapes into my leg, leaving slivers buried deep within my skin. I'm free though, so I shamble my way up the rest of the stairs, hoping that luck will keep me from falling through again.

_What am I doing here again?_

"G-Gene?" I only now realize that he's gone. _When did he leave my side? Why did he leave my side?_ "Gene!" My voice cascades down the hall and I hear the scurrying of footsteps. _Maybe it's the kids. _I inch closer to the sound, trying to avoid the weak wood that's spread about the floorboards, until I come to a room. As I turn into it I notice that it's filled with raccoons and squirrels. I even see a few tanuki illuminated from the filtered moon light. They rush out of the window before I can enter the room; scared from the noise I've been making.

I jump as my phone powers back on, its song piercing the silence. Once I've unlocked it, I turn the flashlight app on again. Then I head away from the room, the stench too overpowering. _I need to find the kids and get out of here._ Bats race passed me, causing me to duck as I shine my flashlight down the hallway.

"Hee hee hee."

"Heh heh heh."

"Ha ha ha."

The laughter is still above me.

I take a deep breath and make my way back to the staircase, hoisting myself up with the help of the banister. A warm stream of blood trickles down my leg with each step I take and my hands grow colder until I can't feel if I'm touching spider webs anymore.

_Am I going cold from the presence of spirits or because I'm losing blood?_

My phone vibrates to death again from within my pocket. _Great… _As I finally get to the top of the stairs I begin to hear a soft banging noise resonating from the front door it seems. _Maybe someone heard me scream and they've come here to help me?_

My eyes widen.

_Or maybe a murderer has been lurking in here and has made this their home… Is that them? Are they home now? _

My body is weak and in poor condition… I'd be the perfect target…

"N-No! You can't have me!" I yell. The murderer already knows I'm here though.

The staircase leads to a hallway with only one way to go so I take a turn and limp across the ground. The laughter emitting from the children is growing louder and so is the banging from downstairs. I try door after door but they're all locked. "If you need help, I'm right here!" I cry out. The laughter and banging only grow louder.

I trip as a strong twinge of pain grips my leg. After a second to catch my breath, and with the motivation of a particularly large centipede inching its way towards me, I hoist myself up and keep checking for an unlocked door. I need to hide myself before the murderer finds me.

The last door at the end of the hall opens and silence falls upon me. I glance around the room as I enter into it and find myself looking into the eyes of an old red fox; its pupils are gleaming in the moonlight.

It's stare stops me in my tracks. This creature is larger than the raccoons and tanuki and I fear it will attack me. It watches me placidly, sitting completely still for several seconds before ambling to its feet and jumping out of the window.

The door slams behind me and I rush the two steps it takes to reach it. It's locked and I can hear the pounding again. I edge as far away from the door as possible, cowering under the window; crouching, with my hands covering my ears.

Even though the banging shakes the walls and floors around me, I can hear it more prominently from the door separating me from the hallway. It's shaking me to my core and I begin to tremble in terror as my mind races; thoughts of fear and death being overcome by the laughter. _Where are the children?_ My vision gets blurry as tears well into my eyes. _Was I tricked by the spirits?_

The door bursts open and I know I'm done for. I scream in terror as the hands of the murderer wrap around my shoulders.

"Shh," the voice says. It's calm and cool. _This sick psycho is trying to calm me before he kills me! _"Shh… It's okay Mai."

_How does he know my name?_

"You're going to be alright, okay? I'm here now," the voice is still calm and I can sense the sincerity in it.

I pull my head out from my arms and look towards the man who's comforting me. "Naru?"

His hand brushes a tear from my cheek. "Let's get out of here, Mai." I throw my entire body into his and wrap my arms around him, holding on for dear life; crying harder than ever.

_I was so scared you were going to hurt me._

He lets me cry for several minutes before I feel his hand inch up my thigh. Before going too far the hand leaves my skin and is pulled into the dim moonlight streaming in through the window. Naru's hand is covered in my blood. He looks at me and even though his expression is still calm, I can sense the slightest hint of fear and worry. Naru repositions himself and his hold on me, then stands and begins to carry me out of the house.

As soon as we come back to the road, which was a much easier feat when Naru was the one handling the stairs, he pulls out his cell phone and calls a taxi.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him as we begin our wait for the taxi service. "How did you know where to find me?"

"Gene," he says. He sets me down next to him—even though I wanted to stay on his lap—and as he says Gene's name, my spirit guide appears on the other side of me. "I was taking a shower and he wrote a message to me on the mirror."

I glance nervously at Gene; he looks shaken and cast with worry. "I didn't know he could do that sort of thing," I say.

"It's one of those oddities that affect a spirit when they're experiencing a lot of emotion." Naru turns to look at me. "He must have been really worried about you."

"He must have been the one telling me not to go inside," I say as I grind my teeth in anger. _I'm such an idiot._ "His voice was drowned out by my impulse to go into that stupid house. I didn't even see any spirits!" I want so badly to lean against Naru's arm and rest my head on his shoulder. He and Gene are my knights in shining armor tonight. "Why did I want to go into that house? Is it even haunted?"

Naru looked over his shoulder at the building. "From what I could see of it, I'm sure plenty of kids go there to party. I bet they tell ghost stories too because it looks creepy."

"So it's less _haunted_ and more 'filled with low-level spirits because of excessive ghost stories?'"

"I'd say so. The majority of the spirits would still cross over but there are enough weak, low-leveled spirits to cause some phenomenon. I'd have to investigate it more."

The taxi's head lights suddenly round the nearby corner and blind us as it comes to a stop on our street. Naru lifts me again and carries me to the cab.

He stays with me during my short time at the hospital, and is even able to give me employee health coverage. Now that we are near people he doesn't talk as much, choosing instead to sit quietly, staring at nothing. I'm not bothered by the silence though; happy to have him in my presence.

Once the doctor has removed all of the splinters, bandaged my leg, and filled me back up with blood, Naru calls another taxi to come and take us home. During the car ride I ask why Lin hadn't driven him and he says he didn't want to bother Lin because he was already asleep.

I finally arrive at my house and Naru, telling the cab driver to wait, walks me to my apartment. Once I reach the door and unlock it, he gives me permission to have a 'sick' day so that I can hibernate the day away with the help of my pain meds.

"Don't think you can slack off when you come back though," he adds before going back to the taxi. It's times like this that I cherish my interactions with Naru the most. He showed me a softer side tonight that I'd only seen once before, back when we fell into the tunnel together. There might not have been a magic show but this time he held me and whispered gently into my ear.

I shake the sick fantasy creeping up on me. There has got to be other ways to get him to show affection. If I go looking for trouble just to see that side of him he'd probably fire me for being a burden.

With Gene not in the mood to converse, still shaken up from the event, I decide to lie down and sleep; hoping for a dreamless night.

**AN: Check me out! Busting out two chapters in a row! I feel like the underlining story that connects all these cases together just moved a smidge towards the goal of completion! Still a long ways to go though -_- BTW I was reading this and it totally gave me the heeby jeebies! With all the bugs and rotten wood and mold and shiz! Also, who uses "heeby jeebies" anymore!?**


	8. CURSE OF THE FARMER

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this and I'm not trying to sell any of it.**

**AN: This took me forever to write! The reason this chapter took so long to come out was 30% procrastination, 10% sleeping and naps, 30% work, 10% socializing, and 10% anime. So for 10% of the time I **_**was**_** actually working on the story. First it took me a while to come up with the case idea, then I worked on it on and off for several days but there was always crap happening so it took me FOREVER! I finally had a free day where I literally wasn't doing anything though so I was able to finish :D Also, one of my bouts of laziness included me making the house in this case in Minecraft ^_^**

CASE 6: CURSE OF THE FARMER

_Trying to be fast in accomplishing our means._

The Journey to our next case is long and boring. Naru, Lin, Yasuhara, and I are sitting stiffly in the SPR van, the silence taking up more room than necessary and squishing me against the window. I didn't expect Naru or Lin to converse, but I was hoping Yasu would say something. He's too preoccupied with his college books though. _College must be hard._

"_Every night my family has the same dream. An old man walks over to us and says _'I'm going to kill you for what you've done to my land.' _We're all really scared…"_

I'm recounting the consultation for this case. It's definitely one of the more eerie ones. A woman in her mid twenties had come into the office, accompanied by her eight-year-old daughter, Aya. The woman introduced herself as Ayano, and then began to tell us her case.

"Strange things keep happening in the middle of the night. Someone in the family will get up to grab a glass a water, use the bathroom, anything really, and they'll see something scary. We've encountered Azuki Arai, Rokuro-kubi, Ohaguro-bettari, and even Futakuchi-onna."

"Oh man, your house sounds like something out of a horror movie," I said.

"Why wait so long to ask for help?" Naru said.

Ayano gave him a solemn look. "Aya-chan and I live in a family of six at our house. There are us, my husband, his mother and father, and also his brother. My father-in-law, Kin-san, doesn't believe in the supernatural. Even though he's experienced everything we have, he always seems to find an excuse, and since he's the head of the family there isn't much say in what we can do."

"And what made him change his mind?" Naru said.

Ayano turned away from us, as if disappointed in herself. "Kin-san and my husband, Kohaku, are leaving for a fishing trip tomorrow. My mother-in-law agreed that we should ask for help once they're gone. He and my husband will be away for two weeks."

Naru asked Ayano a few additional questions and soon decided to take on her case so now—two days later—we're driving to her house.

Her home is a few miles away from Tokyo; just beyond the reach of the big city in a small area where industry begins to wane into farmland.

We've been driving for a couple of hours, but finally, after two or three turns down different roads, we begin to drive down her driveway. Trees surround her yard and in the distance I can make out a small tool shed as we drive closer to the large house.

_Finally! We're here._

Ayano, Aya, and two others come out of the house to greet us.

"This is my mother-in-law, Midori, and my brother-in-law, Aoi," Ayano says, introducing us. She turns to Naru. "As you requested we've made a room for your base."

Upon entering the house I realize it's even bigger than I thought. To my left is a large, spacious living room. To my right is an equally large dining room. At my feet is a gold rug with black trimmings. The rest of the house is divided into two sides by a garden containing a small pond. It's like the original creator decided to build around the pond instead of beside it. The left side contains four bedrooms for the family, the right side—where we're heading—has two large guest rooms and a library that will be our base. Then the house connects on the other side of the pond with a brief hallway that provides a bathroom, a toilet room, and a washer for laundry. There's also a backdoor that leads to the shed.

I take a look at both my room and the boys' room while Naru, Lin, and Yasu carry in the equipment; Naru told me to see if I could sense anything. Their room has four beds while mine has three and I don't know if it's a coincidence that it's enough for all of our SPR members, minus John, or if Naru asked Ayano to accommodate for everyone. He must have already deduced that we'd need the whole squad.

"Sense anything?" Gene says to me as I look into the walk-in closet that connects to my room.

"Not really," I say. The nervous feeling I have is more than likely because I'm going to be sleeping alone in a big room in a creepy, unfamiliar house.

I ignore the visible frown on Gene's face and leave the room.

"What's the four-one-one, Senpai?" Yasu asks me as he, Naru, and Lin finish unloading the equipment into the base.

"Nothing," I say. "I don't sense anything." I give a shrug and walk off; Naru's inquiring gaze scaring me out of the room.

"Hey, hey, nee-san! Do you want to see my room?" Aya says, hurrying over to me from out of the kitchen.

"Now, Aya-chan, don't go bothering the ghost hunters. They're here working," her grandmother says, following her into the hallway.

"She's fine Midori-san," I say with a big smile. It's nice coming across a happy, normal child for once.

"As long as you're sure…" Midori says, her voice shaking with uncertainty.

I give her a reaffirming grin and then follow Aya to her room. It's small and compact compared to the one I'm staying in, but she's so little I doubt she cares.

"This is my doll house," she says as she kneels next to a bulky wooden toy house. "And these are my dollies." She grabs a few dolls and raises them up in acknowledgment. "Ooh and this is my stroller and baby." Now she's introducing me to another, larger doll. "I know baby dolls are for little kids but all of the girls at school are into them right now."

"You sound like you have a lot of friends," I say.

"Definitely! I just wish we could get rid of the scary stuff so that they could come over! My house is so big that sleepovers would be super fun."

"Well don't you worry Aya-chan. We're definitely going to get rid of the scary stuff," I say. She beams at me and then grabs another doll so that we can play together.

A while later, Midori and Ayano call everyone to the dining room for dinner.

The dinner spread is extravagant; plenty of squid and fish, salad, miso soup, rice, and other smaller dishes for us to fight over. I notice that Aoi hasn't come to the table yet though. We hear the sound of a can being opened from the kitchen and then watch Aoi stumble into the room to join us.

"Stoopid fam'y. Why'd the' 'aff to go fishin' without me?" Aoi mumbles as he struggles to place food onto his plate; one of his hands clenched possessively around a can of beer. He splatters sauce onto the tablecloth.

"Aoi! How many have you had already?" Midori says; her voice ripe with malice. She's a nice woman but it's more than apparent that she's easily frustrated by her son.

"Don' matter," he says. He ignores her glare and continues sloshing food onto his plate and onto the table before noisily eating.

The site may be embarrassing for Midori and Ayano, but I'm secretly enjoying it. We always come across scary cases and ordeals where we aren't treated with respect, and while Aoi might not be showing any respect, his behavior is a nice change from the stiffs that we normally work with.

Once dinner is over the men on my team go back to the base; I help Midori and Ayano with the dishes while Aoi plays with Aya; his drunken state rendering him with the emotional curiosity of a child.

"I am so sorry for his behavior," Midori says as we clean.

"Oh it's not a problem at all," I say. "I just wonder why he chose to…"

"It's a tradition for the boys to go fishing every year and he's upset that he couldn't go," Ayano explains. "He couldn't get the time off from work."

I chance a glance at Aoi as I leave the kitchen for my room. _He must have really been looking forward to the fishing trip._ As I pass the base Naru calls me in and asks if I still don't feel anything unusual. I tell him I don't and then say goodnight to everyone.

"Any useful dreams, Mai?" Yasu asks as I enter into the base to tell everyone that breakfast is ready. We're now officially on day two of the case. I shake my head 'no'.

"Breakfast is ready by the way," I say.

"Why is it you asked me for a lap top but now it seems that you never use it?" Naru says to me before I can escape. I know he knows the answer.

"Whoa! You bought Mai a laptop?" Yasu says, unknowingly coming to my rescue. I hurry out of the room, Yasu's carelessness following me out and shielding me from Naru's piercing gaze. "I want one boss."

The truth is… I haven't had a dream in a while. Since before our case with Kokoro-chan.

The boys eventually make their way to the dining room and join us to eat. The only one missing now is Aoi. He stumbled out of the house earlier to go to work; the whole while cursing about his hangover.

"We've gone ahead and called our medium to the team," Yasu says to Midori and Ayano as we eat rice omelets and fish that has been prepared. "She should be here in a few hours."

It must be nice for Naru to not have to talk to the clients when he doesn't want to. I've started to notice that he always let's Yasu inform everyone about anything necessary.

After breakfast Naru makes me collect data readings from the cameras we have around the house. Over the night his thermo-graphic cameras picked up a dip in temperature but nothing else out of the ordinary. I sigh and go about my grunt work.

The house is very quiet now. Aya is at school, Ayano and Aoi are at work, and Midori is keeping herself busy outside in her hobby garden. It's nice being able to explore the house on my own though, despite the haunting feeling of someone watching me that I keep having. As I make my way around the house the feeling overwhelms me. I'm near the back door that leads to the tool shed as my body grows cold and a shiver shakes its way up my back. '_Maybe I _should_ write in my memo pad…'_ I halt my tasks and pull out the small note book so that I can make a note about this unnerving feeling.

Once I've jotted it down I go back to the base and hand the notebook to Naru so that he can read it. It only has a few entries but I know he'll want to know what I wrote; he more than likely watched me pull the pad out from the camera.

"That isn't a lot to work with," he says as he hands me back my notepad.

"Well sorry," I say with sarcasm. "I'll try harder next time."

"Good."

I scoff while the doorbell rings. _Saved by the bell!_ I hurry out of the room and to the front door where I'm greeted by Masako.

"Hello Mai…" she says dully.

"Hi Masako," I reply back, my tone equal to hers. _Sorry that I'm not Naru._

She steps into the house and then stops suddenly; her face mixed in emotion. Before I can ask her what's wrong she starts walking again, finding her own way around the house. _Whatever._ With a hefty heave, I lift her bag and decide to take it to our room for her.

Masako seems to take forever to scan the house. The place is big, but not _that_ big, so I wonder why she's taking so long but finally, an hour or so later, she comes to the base.

"There are numerous spirits here," she says. "But I can barely feel their presence. More than likely they're hiding from us because we've disrupted the environment."

"Is that why Mai couldn't feel anything then?" Yasu asks. "Since she isn't at Masako's level yet and the spirits are hiding their presence."

_Yes Yasu! That's why! _I think to myself. _Naru's bound to accept that as the reason!_ But Naru just frowns.

"There is one spirit that stands out amongst the others. His presence is still weak, just stronger than the rest. I can't tell too much about him other than that he's a man," Masako says.

"At least that provides some kind of lead," Naru says and he, Lin, and Yasu begin to do research.

I want to talk with Masako so that the time goes by faster but she ignores me, choosing to meditate and see if she can determine anything else. I'd talk to Gene but lately all he does is harass me for not dreaming and we've been bickering more than normal.

Once night approaches the house is filled with commotion as everyone returns home; a welcome change in my opinion. We gather around the dining room table again and enjoy another grand meal while Aoi gets drunk once more.

There still hasn't been anything peculiar turning up so I head to bed without fear.

_Day three…_

"You still haven't dreamt anything?" Yasu says after I've informed everyone that I've gone another dreamless night.

"_Still?"_ Masako says, emphasizing the word with shock.

"It seems that Mai has created a block to keep herself from dreaming," Naru says. _What is he talking about? _"The question is why?"

The others glance at me and I take a step back. "I don't know what you are talking about…"

"It doesn't matter," Naru says. "We've found information about the house. There has been an unusual amount of death here so we'll need to take further precautions and call Matsuzaki-san and Monk-san over to assist us."

"I-I'll get right on it," I say. Before anyone can interject I dash out of the room and make my calls.

"I'll come over now but I'm at my parents so it'll take me a day to get there," Ayako says after I've explained the situation.

"Another case huh? Don't worry your pretty little head, I'll be there tomorrow once my band and I play our last gig," Monk says after I'd done the same with him.

It seems that we'll have to wait another day before the whole group can be here. There are already nine of us in the house. With Monk and Ayako that'll be eleven. And if Kin and Kohaku weren't fishing that would be _thirteen_ people in this one house. I smirk to myself at the idea of Naru working alongside so many people.

"Mai, why aren't you dreaming?" Masako says, catching my attention.

"Sheesh Masako, it's not like I have control over these things," I tell her.

She frowns. "You _do_ have control over them though. Why don't you want to dream anymore?"

"I'm telling you Masako, it's out of my hands." I argue. We glare at each other and then turn away, heading in different directions. Masako goes to the central garden and pond while I wander around the house.

I hate to admit it, but it seems that whenever I pass the back door I'm overcome by fear.

Monk and Ayako arrive early the next day.

"So… You two arrived in the same car?" I say to Ayako, teasing her about being alone with Monk as I escort them to the base.

"Oh whatever Mai, we just thought it'd be more convenient to save on gas and drive down together," Ayako says, mumbling under her breath so that Monk can't hear her.

"Then why are you being so secretive?" I say as we enter the room filled with our research equipment.

"Thank-you for coming early," Naru says as we gather in the room; which is now starting to feel cramped.

"So what are we working with?" Monk says.

"We haven't found the main source of the haunting," Naru says.

"All we do know is that there is an abundance of spirits and that several people have died here… Well… they haven't necessarily died. More like 'have gone missing'," Yasu said.

"How much is _several _people?"

"Anywhere between forty to seventy," Yasu says. The atmosphere tenses and we gape at him. "There have been several reports of people going missing in this immediate area over the last hundred plus years. The severity of the cases as well as the information associated with them drops the further back we search so the numbers are screwy."

"So… the abundant spirits are all of those missing people?" I say.

"There's no telling," Naru says to me and then turns to Monk. "I'd like you to perform an exorcism. I'm sure it won't work but I want to see if it causes a stir amongst the spirits. Maybe then Hara-san can obtain more information for us."

Monk nods his head. "Sounds like a plan. I'll start the preparations then." He leaves to go to the boys' room and change into his robes. After several minutes he is dressed and, with Yasu's help, has the living room cleared.

Naru, Lin, Ayako, Masako, and Yasu leave the room to go and watch Monk perform in person. I start to follow but Naru turns on me. "It seems that you aren't of much use to me in this case so stay here in the base and out of trouble."

I scoff as he and the others leave me behind.

"It's true though, isn't it?" Gene says as he appears at my side. "You still haven't had a dream right?"

"I don't need you badgering me too," I say angrily. I can hear Monk's chanting start; his deep voice echoing scratchily within the room from the TV monitors.

"What's going on with you Mai?" Gene says. "You used to be so willing to let me show you a dream so that you could be helpful to everyone. Now you take sleeping pills every night and you're in such a deep state of sleep that I can't even make contact with you."

I ignore him, choosing to focus my attention on Monk; his exorcism is almost over. Gene doesn't know what he's talking about.

"What happened?" I hear Gene say but I ignore that as well; Monk has started to talk.

"I didn't feel any resistance," Monk says to Naru. "I didn't feel anything to be honest."

"It has had an effect on the spirits though," Masako says. "They appear to have become stronger… though… not by much. They even seem a little upset."

Beside Masako sensing the presence of the spirits easier nothing else happened.

Ayako and I help Midori and Ayano prepare dinner, after all, how could we expect them to make food for all of us now that our numbers had increased again? Once we had labored over the stove and counters in the kitchen for at least an hour, dinner was served.

"Ain' you a cutie?" Aoi says to Ayako as we dined.

"Oh! Um…" Ayako says uneasily. She put off by Aoi's drunkenness. Midori and Ayano frown deeply as Aoi continues to flirt with Ayako. She keeps her temper better than I thought she would, though for a second I thought Monk would unleash on him.

"I'm jus' compliment'n yous," Aoi slurs as we head to our rooms after dinner. It's time again to rest, another day of the case completed and we are still in the dark about a lot of things.

Tilling the land is hard work. Even with the industry on the rise and new machines being invented and created I don't think I'd ever want to be a farmer. I'm a city gal and although my family has decided to move into this rundown farmhouse, they agree with me. After a short conversation with a poor and old farmer my parents decide that moving to this place would be good. Aside from the payment for the house and land, the farmer's only other request is that we treat his home with dignity. His family has prided itself for cultivating the land for several generations. He better not think _we're_ going to farm on it.

Its night time now and I'm trying to sleep but there's an irritating tapping noise outside of my window. With an exaggerated groan I clamber out of bed and walk to the window. _What's making all of that noise?_

I pull back the curtain separating me from the moon light and scream. A man stands on the other side of the window. His face aghast, chapped lips spread apart barring his crooked, yellow-stained teeth. His skin grips tightly around his bones; muscles droop at the top of his arms. His skin is peeling off, as if eaten away, exposing the tissue and bones underneath. Dirt is smudged across his fraying clothes.

"I will kill you…" The man begins to say; his deep words edging to my ears like a slow whisper of wind. "…for what you've done to my land." As his hand rises I notice it's clenched tightly around the staff of a hoe. With both hands on the hoe, he raises it over his head and then swings down at the window.

My eyes fly open and I sit up, my head turning rapidly to the window. No one is there and sunlight signals that the night has gone away for the day. I look away, searching for Masako and Ayako, and find them staring out of the window as well.

"You two had the dream too then?" Ayako says.

Masako and I nod are heads, then the three of us decide to get dressed. Its day five and we're finally seeing activity.

Breakfast is an unusual event. Aya, Ayano, and Aoi are off for the day so the house is full; despite being so large. Midori and Ayano don't prepare breakfast so Ayako and I do it with some help from Masako. Once the meal is ready we all cram around the dining table and eat in unusual silence. Aoi is neither sulking nor drinking, Aya isn't talking energetically with the closest person next to her, and Ayano and Midori sit stiffly in their seats. Now that I think about it… None of them are touching their food either.

"We all had the same dream then…" Masako says after we finished telling the boys about our shared dream. We're now in the base. Masako turns her head and frowns, her hand pulling her kimono sleeve to her lips as she stands still and contemplates to herself.

"It's best to assume that our clients experienced the dream as well," Naru says. He's standing stiff while leaning against his desk, his arms folded across his chest.

"That's probably what's causing their change in behavior," Monk adds.

Naru looks at Ayako. "Matsuzaki-san, I'd like you to place charms around the house."

"That isn't a good idea Naru," Masako says quickly. "Midori-san… Ayano-san… Aya-chan… Aoi-san… they all feel drained. Like life itself is being sucked out of them. The spirits' presence has gotten stronger too."

"Then what do you suggest we do Hara-san?" Naru says; his voice sharp and irritated. "We need results and these charms will aid us in one way or another." Naru moves from his position and walks around his desk, sitting down in front of his computer so that he can continue his investigation.

"Boss…" Yasu says and I realize he's been working at a computer during this entire discussion. "I was stringing together information I've uncovered and I realized something…"

Naru passes a glance at Yasu as we all turn to watch him.

"Entire families have gone missing after moving into this house. It hasn't happened often… but after researching some of the individuals I found more articles that elaborate on the disappearance of whole families," Yasu says.

We stare agape until Monk says, "I'm going to try another exorcism."

"Give me some time to put those charms up," Ayako says. "Mai, maybe you should move the family into a specific room so that Monk isn't interrupted when we start?"

"Yeah… Alright," I say.

"I-I'll help," Masako says. "I want to get a better feel of the family."

She isn't able to determine anything though. We've had trouble before when trying to get people who are possessed to listen to us. Normally they fight; the spirit inside of them sensing that we're trying to cleanse the hosts and then becoming difficult to handle. But the family isn't possessed… They're more like empty, wandering shells that do as they are told. One by one we walk to them and ask them to move themselves to the dining room and they do so with no questions asked.

After Ayako has finished putting her charms up, Yasu and Monk begin to set up the living room again. When the ritual is about to commence, Naru expels me to the base to watch from afar.

For what feels like an hour I listen to Monk's voice droll out of the television speakers. There hasn't been any activity during the whole event and then, at last, he finishes. I stretch and yawn loudly as the group decides to check on the family. My eyes are heavy and I almost wish I _could_ go to sleep and dream. Then maybe we'd finally see something happen. As they leave the living room I watch something unusual occur around the house, unnoticed by my team. Through weighed down eyelids I watch as the charms Ayako placed begin to catch fire and burn away. The yellows and oranges of the flames lick the papers until tthey're gone, and then disappear themselves.

'_I should tell, Naru,'_ I think and leave the base, heading for the dining room. Aya, Ayano, Aoi, and Midori are the only ones in the dining room when I arrive. "Do you know where my team went?" I ask, trying to get their attention. For some reason they've all decided to sit with their backs to the doors; sitting close to the wall, their faces pointed to a corner. "Hello?" I ask.

Ayano's head snaps to her shoulder; a loud crack breaking the silence and enhancing the tension. Then it snaps again as her neck turns upward. Popping sounds follow as it begins to stretch and my stomach turns as I imagine her spine pulling apart at the top. Once it's elongated her head falls in a slump onto her shoulder as she uses her muscles to slide it around her back and upward, staring at me with questioning, empty eyes; her neck appearing limp and large vein throbbing through it.

I stumble backwards as Aoi begins to do the same. His neck cracks and pops; snapping disdainfully as it turns to look at me without the aid of his back. Then Aya. Then Midori. Once the four of them have me in their sights their necks begin to stretch longer, pulling their heads further away from their bodies.

With a quick turn, I step out of the dining room and move away from the entrance, hiding from view behind the wall. I'm in the kitchen now. But I'm not alone... There's a scratching sound and I can hear running water; I can see Aya-chan standing in front of the kitchen sink.

"Aya-chan? What's that noise?" I ask as I approach her from the side.

"I'm washing beans..." Aya says; the words dribbling out of her mouth in a low mumble.

I look at the sink and watch her tiny hands scrub the beans under the running faucet. Against the brown and white of the beans' skin I notice the color red. "Are you bleeding?"

The red increases. Blood begins oozing from her hands as she scrubs her skin off with each motion of her palm. The red soon overcomes the water and gushes out with such intensity that the sink can't drain it fast enough. Her little body produces many times the normal amount of blood as the sink begins to overfill.

"...A-Aya?" I whisper as I continue to back away; her blood spilling over the counter top and pooling on the floor. Aya continues to wash the beans and once the blood seeps its way to my feet I rush out of the kitchen and into the hallway.

Inside the hallway I meet Midori's back. "Midori-san... Aya-chan... she's..." I start to say as Midori turns to looks at me. Her face is a blank slate. She has no eyes and no nose. She doesn't have sockets for her eyes either. Her mouth is an undefined lined that begins to stretch until a gaping black hole takes over her face. I fling my hands to my ears, covering them, as a high pitched scream—similar to the sound of rushing wind—leaves her.

With a stumble, my body moves away from her, forcing itself further down the hallway. Within two steps I trip and turn into the wall to catch myself before continuing down the hall with a few backwards steps. My back brushes against something and I turn, finding myself standing behind Aoi. His head tilts forward, away from me, and I notice a large scab showing from behind his hair. The scab crinkles and cracks, breaking in half. It twitches. Spreads apart. And bears its teeth. A large grin spreads across the back of Aoi's neck and head; the teeth behind the scab, sharp and pointed. As the teeth begin to spread I run further down the hallway, turning into the toilet room, and locking the door behind me.

_'Breath Mai... Breath...'_ My heart is pounding. I can feel blood rushing through my veins, even my clenched eyelids are shaking as the warm liquid pumps through them. I'm trembling, shaking the door knob as I try to steady myself. After several deep breaths my hand moves from the knob, choosing instead to rest on the doors' frame. My eyes slowly open and I notice that I'm viewing the room through a dark red tint.

_'What's that?' _I think as the sound of light lapping fills my ears. I turn my head and move the top half of my body just enough so that I can look behind myself. Ayano is staring at me from the bathroom floor; her hands and knees resting on the tiles. A dark aura surrounds her.

"Silly girl..." Ayano says. She's looking at me with a sadistic smirk. Her body lowers until her cheek just brushes against the tile. "You left me a mess to clean up." With a perverse gaze she licks at the floor, her eyes never wavering from the stare she has on me.

"Oh no," I gasp. "Please stop..." I jiggle the handle a few more times until I remember that I locked the door. Once I've freed myself from the room I'm stopped once again. Surrounding me are hundreds of spirits draped in white robes; their faces hidden behind Noh masks.

I try to force my way through the river of spirits but I grow lost, surrounded on all sides. I search frantically, trying to find the hall that leads to the base. As my head turns from side to side I see a flash of orange and black streak across the far side of my vision. _"My body is that way!"_

"_I'm almost there!"_

Just a few more steps and I'll be back in the base!

My head lifts as I wake from the dream. Then it turns as the floorboards beside me creak.

"You will pay for what you've done!"

Standing before me is the farmer from my earlier dream; his body decayed and rotten; covered in mud and dirt. A hoe held above his head. I scream at the top of my lungs and throw my hands in front of my body to shield myself as he swings the hoe down on me.

A white stream of liquid light bursts through the door and into the base as I hear Lin's whistle resound in the distance. Before it hits the man he dissolves away, his spirit running and hiding from the attack. There's a _clank_ and I realize he's left his tool in the room.

"What happened?" Lin asks as he and the others hurry into the base.

"I was dreaming…" I start to say, noticing everyone give me an inquiring look. "…and when I woke up that spirit… the one that looks like a decaying farmer… he was standing over me… about to attack me with…" I pointed to the hoe on the floor. "…that."

"Do you think that we're dealing with a dorotabō spirit?" Monk says; one of his arms is lying across his chest, holding the elbow of his other arm. His free hand holds his chin as he contemplates.

"What's a dorotabō?" Naru says.

'_Whoa… a spirit Naru hasn't heard of before?'_ I think as Monk begins to explain.

"A dorotabō is the residual spirit of a farmer who feels scorned because his land isn't being farmed," Monk says.

Light flashes across Naru's eyes and he walks to his computer to begin researching something. I decide to explain my dream to everyone.

"The family is still sitting silently in the kitchen," Yasu says as he glances at the TVs; watching the family from our cameras.

"Those spirits in white robes," Masako says. "They must be the spirits of all the people that have gone missing in this area."

We discuss the events a little longer but then, eventually, we run out of things to talk about. Soon night comes and we find ourselves sleeping in our rooms; Naru, Lin, and Yasu staying in the base to continue Naru's investigation.

Around three in the morning I wake up, feeling the urge to pee. Hesitantly, I make my way to the door of the room I share with Masako and Ayako.

"Gene?" I say as I wrap my fingers around the handle of the door.

My spirit guide appears next to me. He doesn't say anything, already knowing that I'd like him to escort me out of fear from my dream. The bathroom is only a few feet away but if it weren't for Gene's presence I'd be too scared to walk. I use the toilet quickly, relieved that Ayano isn't here to lick the floors, and then I make my way to the door in a brisk pace so that I don't have to be separated from Gene any longer. Gene isn't the one who greets me on the other side of the door though.

The farmer stands before me with a wicked look in his eyes. I turn to run back into the bathroom but there's a _clunk_ and then my vision goes black.

As I stand in the hallway in front of the bathroom I notice Aoi walk to his room.

"Why does it always have to be about Kohaku?" he mumbles as he enters his bedroom.

"Aoi-san?" I say. I follow him into the room and the door shuts behind me automatically.

Aoi has a beer in his hand and I see more than a dozen empty cans and bottles strewn about the floor. "Always about Kohaku… Dad's favorite son. The guy who married a beautiful woman and is living a perfect life." He takes a long swig from the can, then clamps his hand tightly, squeezing the can in his fist. Aoi throws the empty can onto the floor and then opens a new one that was sitting on his bedside table. "And what do I get? I don't have a girlfriend. My parents feel like I'm a burden. All I do is work and then come home and get harassed by that _woman_ who calls herself my mother."

"Hey now…" I say. I don't know why he hasn't noticed my presence yet but I don't think he should be talking like this.

A rope falls from nowhere and dangles in the air. It's a noose. I look up and see that it's tied to the ceilings scaffolding. Aoi eyeballs it and then moves his desk chair underneath.

"It's been awhile since I thought about doing _that…_" he says as he stands on top of the chair.

"_That?_ What's _that?_" I say.

"Maybe this time I won't chicken out…" Aoi grabs hold of the noose and places it around his head.

"Aoi don't! STOP!" I say. I want to run and stop him but my legs won't move. He hesitates for a second and turns in place and I realize the old man with the hoe is standing in front of him. The man swings and digs the hoe into Aoi's head, shoving him off the chair. I don't need to worry about the noose's pull suffocating him. He's already dead.

The old man seizes Aoi's legs and yanks downwards, until the support beam that the rope is tied around snaps and Aoi's limp, bleeding body falls to the floor.

"What was that?" Someone's voice yells from outside of the room.

"It's coming from Aoi-san's room!" says another voice.

The door opens and my team enters the room. "Where is he?" Yasu says.

I look around the room but Aoi and the spirit are gone. There isn't any blood splattered on the wooden floor and the noose is hanging in the air carelessly, still attached to the ceiling.

"Mai is missing too," Ayako says, causing heads to turn in her direction. "She was taking a long time to use the bathroom so I went to find her and all I saw was that the window in the bathroom is broken."

"What?" I think aloud. "Guys I'm right here!"

Everyone ignores me though. I'm invisible to them.

"H-hey… guys? Masako?"

"Mai!" Gene's voice fills the room, echoing against the walls. "Wake up Mai!"

I blink my eyes again and again. I leave my eyelids open and can feel the stale air start to dry my eyes out until they begin to water. _I'm awake right?_ I'm surrounded by total darkness and it's difficult to move. My back digs into rocks as I lay atop cold dirt. My arms are obstructed and can't move and the ceiling is low, keeping me from sitting up. I feel like I'm trapped in a coffin; the smell of rotten flesh fueling the idea.

"Mai… I'm sorry but I'm of little use to you right now," Gene says. I can hear his voice right next to me but it's so dark that I can't make out his presence. He isn't glowing. "The spirit's energy is overwhelming in this area and my powers are limited. I don't know why but even _I'm_ trapped in the encasing you're in."

I try to speak; try to say something to him, but something is keeping my lips from moving and I can't talk.

"I feel like I may cross over…" Gene says; his voice grave.

'_No! Anything but that!'_

"I'm losing myself…" his voice is becoming distant. "No. Mai. We need to get you out of here." _'There's the Gene I know.'_ He's pulling himself together. "Would you mind if I possess you?"

I shake my head, hoping he'll see it. He does, and I feel his cold essence faze into my body.

The area I'm in is filled with so much spiritual activity that I can't displace my soul. I stay within my body as Gene fuses with it. Cold creeps across my skin as heat burns gently at the back of my head.

"_Can you hear me, Mai?"_ Gene says but I hear his voice inside my mind this time. I know he was able to connect his mind with Naru's telepathically and I wonder if he can do the same with me when we're both using my body.

"_Yes! Can you hear me?"_ I think to him.

"_I can."_

"_Gene… You said that you were starting to lose yourself so… If you ever need to bind to something, you can take possession of my old house key if you'd like."_

"_I'll keep that in mind, thank-you. I'm going to try and get a hold of Noll the way I used to when we were younger…" _Images begin to fill my mind. Flashing across my mind's eye I see pictures of Naru when he was a child and in his young teen years until I come across a moving image of him walking to our current base. _"Noll?"_

"_Gene?"_ Naru's thoughts enter my mind as the image I had of him fades.

"_My power is waning Mai…" _Gene says and my body grows warmer as he leaves it, heading for my key. The word _"talk"_ left in my head.

"_N-Naru… I don't know where I am… But wherever I am, I'm trapped…" _I think.

"_Stay calm, Mai,"_ Naru's words come to me and I can make out images again. I find myself staring at a computer screen but the vision is fuzzy.

I move from the monitor and amble to the room I've been using; but I'm not controlling my movements. I'm viewing my surroundings through Naru's eyes. He comes to my bed and grabs a hold of one of my bags, unzipping it and sliding his hand inside until he's got my dream diary. The vision I have changes again.

I watch as my body falls to the ground, my head slamming into the tile outlining the bathroom. The old man smiles at me and then grabs a hold of my body. He lurches and drags me to the other side of the room; pushing me through the window and dragging my body to the tool shed in the back.

"_So that's where she is…"_ I hear Naru think and my vision increases. He's turned from my belongings and is leaving the room, walking two doors down, to the base. My lack of senses from being in this confinement must be allowing me to connect with Naru on an abnormally close, mental level.

"Monk-san, prepare for an exorcism," Naru says as he enters the base. "Yasuhara-san… Lin… I'll need the two of you to research the last farmer who lived here." He then bustles out of the room, heading for the dining room where he finds Masako and Ayako.

"We still can't figure out why these three are still in a trance but Aoi-san disappeared," Ayako says as Naru enters the room.

"We'll need to determine that later. Right now, I need you to make charms that can block the spirits from leaving the house. Can you do that?" Naru says.

"Of course I can," Ayako says.

"I'll help you," Masako says as they head for the girls' room.

Naru walks around the house to the living room and follows the hallway that passes the main bedrooms. As he rounds the corner he stops. Facing him is the deceased farmer; his hoe held above his head.

The farmer swings but Naru catches the hoe in one hand.

"What should I do dear?" I'm kneeling in front an altar, presenting a bowl full of steaming, pure white rice to my deceased wife. "Aina-san… I've grown too weak to farm rice… too weak to watch and care for the animals. Our sons have left to pursue careers in _business_ and our daughter has her own family to care for now."

There's a knock behind me.

"They're already here…" I quickly take down Aina's picture and store it away in a bag before going to the front door. With one last look around my house which now stands bare and empty, I open the door. "Atsushi-san…"

A man is standing outside my door. He's taller than me and is wearing a fashionable suit. I prefer traditional attire. His wife clambers out of a carriage and heads over to us. _She_, at least, is wearing a kimono, but it's overly decorated and showy.

"Kunio-san," the man says to me, offering me a handshake instead of a proper bow. I refuse the offer and wait for him to continue. "I just wanted to thank-you again for the sale."

"Use my land respectfully," I say. With one final look at the home I have lived in my whole life, I grab my bag, and leave. As I pass the carriage I catch a glimpse of their daughter. _Nearly a woman and letting her hair fall down her back like that…_

Industry is on the rise and I fear that the land my family and I have tended to for over a thousand years will be reduced to nothing by a family like Atsushi's. _Mark my words though; if my land isn't treated right _theywill_ pay._

I can hear Naru groaning beside me.

'_Where am I?' _he thinks.

"_You're in the shed with me apparently,"_ I think.

I hear him try to turn his head and open his mouth to talk but the room is too tight and we're squished together. The smell of rotten flesh and stale beer isn't helping.

"_What are we going to do, Naru?"_

"_Wait."_

"_How can you stay so calm?"_

"_If Lin doesn't come and save us then I'll just force my way out with my PK."_

"_You can't do that! It's too dangerous!"_

"_And that's why we're waiting for Lin."_

I try to sigh and relieve some stress but I can't even do that. Naru's right though. Lin will be able to come and find us. '_Wait… I don't remember Naru telling Lin where I am…'_

"_His shiki know," _Naru thinks. _"All of the spirits will be drawn to the house because of the distortion in waves caused by Monk-san's exorcism. From there they'll remain trapped because of the talismans Matsuzaki-san has put up. Yasuhara-san and Lin will have found out the name of the farmer by now and with that Monk-san can exorcise him individually. Then with Hara-san's help the other spirits can be cleansed. While that's happening Lin will send his shiki to us and follow. The shiki will break the source of whatever is binding us and then Lin will let us out."_

As if on cue, we start to hear the sound of bending wood, then light breaks through as the wood above us shatters.

"Are you two okay?" Lin says as he offers me a hand; Naru climbs out of the hole on his own.

Once we are free we take a look at the container we were in. I have to leave the shed to throw up. We had been placed into a small dugout underneath the floorboards of the shed. The reason the space was so tight was because we were surrounded by hundreds of skeletons; including Aoi's fresh corpse.

Lin escorts us back to the house where everyone is waiting for us, including Aya, Ayano, and Midori.

"Where's Aoi?" Midori says frantically.

We look around at one another. How are we going to tell her that her son is dead? Naru gives Lin a look that I can't place until his thoughts stream through my mind. _'That vision left me drained… I really don't want to talk to them.'_

As if Lin can read Naru's mind too he nods to him and then speaks to Midori. "I think it would be best if you came with me." Then he leaves the house again, going back to the shed.

'_He isn't really going to show her those bodies is he?' _I gasp. That could scar her for life…

"_Having your son die before you, no matter the reason, could scar you for life," _Naru says to me. _"Why can I still hear your thoughts?"_

"_I don't know… Gene is the one who connected our minds," _I tell him.

We wait until the family is well aware of Aoi's death before we start to pack our equipment. Naru and Lin bring Midori and Ayano to the living room to go over some paperwork so that way we are covered legally for the death. We don't want a lawsuit on our hands incase Kin-san and Kohaku-san want to take the matter to court when they finally come home.

Once all of our stuff is packed we piled into the vehicles. Masako steals my seat in the SPR van—_'She just wants to ride home with Naru'—_before I get the chance so I ride with Monk and Ayako, which I would normally be fine with but they won't stop talking about the case.

"It sucks that you had such a terrifying dream that didn't give us any information about the case though," Monk says as we followed behind the van.

"It's probably because you haven't dreamt in a while," Ayako says. "Maybe your powers have to work themselves back up."

I stay silent, still freaked out from spending half a day with a mass of corpses and I don't want to admit to them that I never want to dream again. _'After the dreams I've had… Why would I?'_

"_Is that really how you feel?"_

"_Enough, Eugene! I'm sorry okay. I'm scared. I'm too scared that I'm going to be hurt and that I'll die or something. Why do you have to keep bringing it up? I'm not cut out to be a ghost hunter okay?"_

"_Mai… You don't have to worry. We're all here to watch over you and protect you, remember? Why would you tell me that if you didn't believe it?"_

I raise my feet onto the car seat and wrap my arms around my knees, hiding my face from view as silent tears crawl down my face.

"_I'm scared… I'm really scared…" _My face grows red as I cry and confess my fears to Eugene. _For once I wish it _was_ Naru I was opening my heart to._

"_You _are_ speaking with me. Our minds are still linked remember?"_

My face grows hot as I blush under my tears. _'That's right… Our thoughts are still connected.'_

"Hey look! A fox," Ayako says from the front passenger's seat. She's pointing out of the window and I look in time to see us drive by a fox. It's sitting beside the road and its head follows us as we pass it. _Or is it following me?_

"_It seems you have a decision to make, Mai." _Naru thinks pointedly.

"_What's that?"_

"_You need to decide if you really feel you're unsuited for this job or if this is something you want to give up."_

The way his words cross my mind I get the feeling that if I do give up on ghost hunting I won't be able to see him again; that work is the only thing keeping us together.

_What _do_ I want to do?_

**AN: In case you got confused: single apostrophes around the thoughts meant that the character was thinking to themselves **_**'like this'**_** and quotations around the thoughts meant the character was actually directing their thought to the other person **_**"like this"**_** the idea being that Naru could be thinking **_**'I could really use some tea right now…'**_** and Mai could mentally tell him **_**"I'll get you some then!"**_** because whether you're thinking to someone or to yourself the bitch about telepathy is that the other person always knows :)**

**Fast Facts #11:** **Aya** **(** 彩 **) means "color", Ayano** **(** 彩乃 **) means "my color", Kin (** 金 **)** **means "gold", Kohaku ( **琥珀 **) means "amber", Midori (** 緑 **) means "green", and Aoi (** 碧 **)** **means "blue"**

**Fast Facts #12:** **Yōkai is a ghost, phantom, or other strange apparition… Azuki Arai is a **_**yōkai **_**found washing azuki beans. Rokuro-kubi are humans able to elongate their necks during the night. Ohaguro-bettari is a figure, normally female, that turns to reveal a face with only a blackened mouth. Futakuchi-onna is a woman with a **_**voracious **_**extra mouth on the back of her head. **(Taken from Wikipedia)

**Fast Facts #13: Aina (** 愛菜 **) means "love vegetables", Kunio (** 國男**) means "country man", and Atsushi (** 敦司 **) means "industrious director"**


	9. SELF DISCOVERY AT THE HOSPITAL?

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this and I'm not trying to sell any of it.**

**AN: So I play around with font affects a lot apparently. Here's a recap as to how the affects work while reading:**

_This is when Mai's narration is displaying thought._

'_This is when Mai herself is thinking in the story.'_

"_This is a telepathic message purposefully sent to someone"_

When something spoken or a thought is **bold** such as "**What the heck just happened!?**" it means that the person speaking/thinking is doing so in another language.

**The "bold being words spoken in another language" thing is newly added as of this chapter.**

CASE 7: SELF DISCOVERY AT THE HOSPITAL?

_Still, in the end we'll learn_

"_The elevator is jammed and I can't get out!"_

_"Idiot. What did you do?"_

"I tried using the elevator! DUH!"

_"Your stupidity fails to amuse me... where are you?"_

"I think I'm stuck between the second and third floor."

"I'll be there soon."

"Okay..."

Here I am, trapped in an elevator somewhere in the middle of a haunted hospital. I was trying to investigate a room that has been giving me a sick feeling but on my way up, this happened. Before, I'd be surprised that Naru didn't already know that I was here, but Gene explained a week or so ago that Naru can ignore my thoughts. Since he has more experience with telepathy than I do, it's easier for him to drown out the things that run across my mind.

_Lucky him..._

I haven't had nearly the same amount of luck. As it turns out, he actually holds back a lot. Both quality and quantity wise. Whenever he would yell at me or one of the other members of SPR I thought he was being mean but now that I can hear his thoughts I can also hear the internal ranting that makes up the majority of his feelings. There's also a lot of internal praise too and it leaves me wondering why he won't show more of that side of himself; a question he still refuses to answer no matter how many times I ask him.

Gene says it's because Naru feels that he won't be taken seriously.

As for my fear of dreaming...

It turns out that occasionally Naru and I will share dreams and we can enter into one another's dreams. So whenever I'm having a nightmare, Naru is able to live it with me and support me as I go through it so that we can learn from it and face any threat together. I've questioned Gene numerous times about why he won't release the telepathic link between me and Naru but he won't answer. I think it's because he wants me to feel content with dreaming again.

I do allow myself to dream more now, but that's only because Naru is with me. If it wasn't for this link I wouldn't feel safe and they both know that. Naru knows everything that mumbles its way across my mind as I think to myself. It's the only bad thing about this telepathic link because if he wants to he can know everything I see or do. If he closes his eyes and focuses on my mind eventually his senses will link to my own and he can see what I see, hear what I hear. It's the worst invasion of privacy and there's nothing I can do about it.

I gave up on trying to hide my deepest, most personal thoughts just a few days into our link because it's too hard to keep my mind quiet. He doesn't say anything to me about those private thoughts though, and his mind doesn't think any judgmental thoughts about them either. Just the same, I don't say anything to him about the rants that fill his mind and the cruel, joking thoughts that crept through his brain as we talked to the hospital director. I have to trust him, there aren't any other options for me, and he has to trust me with his secrets too.

"Mai?" I hear my name and then there's a pounding on the elevator door which I can see the bottom half of.

"I'm here, Monk!" I call back to him.

"_We've brought a crowbar so we're going to pry the doors apart and then grab you,"_ Naru's thoughts say to me.

"Just sit tight, Mai!" Monk says again and I hear him shove the crowbar in between the doors shortly followed by the aching sound of the metal machine's attempt to resist him. Naru and Yasuhara help pull the doors apart as Monk kneels down and grabs my outstretched hand. With an audible haul he drags me to the floor's level and I'm able to pull myself out of the elevator.

'_I wish Naru was the one clinging to me…'_ I think as Monk begins to release me from his embrace now that I'm safe and secure. I blush and look away from Naru even though I've thought more embarrassing things by now.

"Well, well, I didn't mean to embarrass you, Mai," Monk says with a cheesy grin as he rubs his hand on top of my head.

"_Why is it you always manage to play the damsel in distress?"_ Naru thinks pointedly.

"_Well so-orry for trying to rely on the convenience of an elevator,"_ I think back.

He ignores me as we head back for our base, located on the first floor.

The hospital is quiet, the usual rushing sounds of nurses and doctors scurrying to their offices, labs, and patient rooms is gone; the building is vacant. It's been shut down for half a year now because of strange anomalies occurring and appearing randomly. Destructive forces that would break needles and shatter mirrors, sounds like static that would cut out the power for timeframes ranging from minutes to hours, and shadows that appear out of nowhere and take the form of a man seemingly wearing a coat and hat.

Chills run down my spine spontaneously; without pattern. The temperature fluctuates from the forties to a few degrees in the negative. This randomness of events has shut down the hospital and the director fears that he'll never be able to open its doors to the public again. He hired various engineers and specialists who tried to scope out the cause of the problem but they all came up with empty excuses that didn't have lasting results.

It was the appearance of the _shadow man_ that finally made the director come to Shibuya Psychic Research. He explained everything to Naru; told him that lives were at stake. The hospital is located in a small, far off town and is the only infirmary easily accessible to the residence so Naru decided to help the man out.

"_A man too cowardly to stay at his own hospital during the investigation,"_ Naru's thoughts tell me.

'_It is true that he hasn't come here once…' _ I think as Naru's comment sits in my head. _'He didn't even show us to the hospital to begin with. He just gave Naru the key and address.'_

'_**Worthless… Incomparable rubbish'**_ Naru's thoughts have transitioned to English as he continues on with loathing.

"You're being awfully silent, Mai. You didn't even comment when I was teasing you," Monk says.

"Maybe her and the boss are having an intimate, telepathic discussion about… stuff," Yasu says.

"Stuff?" Monk asks.

"You know," Yasu says with a giant smirk spread across his face. "A little of this… and a little of that…"

"Oh," Monk says. "So it's like that huh?" Now they're both smirking and looking at me while I try to ignore them. Naru's line of thought has ended finally but his mind remains blank as they continue their pressings of the subject at hand. "I didn't know it was like that."

"I'm sure he's just showing her all sorts of… images and… suggestions."

"Like, what he plans on doing to her?"

"Oh man, you sure have more experience with this kind of thing! What _is_ he planning to do to her?" Yasu is making an ass out of himself again; picking on all three of us now with his wordplay. My face is slowly turning red from both enjoying the thought of Naru sharing intimate thoughts with me but also because of how obnoxious Monk and Yasu are being. Naru's ahead of me by a few steps now and I can't make out his reaction. _'Can't he just express desire a little?'_

My face is glowing red now; that thought was louder then I intended. I turn on my heel and yell at the two men following behind me. "Can you two get a room if you're going to keep acting this way? Some of us are trying to work and concentrate!"

Monk frowns slightly. "Sorry, Mai. We went a little too far."

Yasu drapes an arm across Monk's shoulders. "Why don't we take up her suggestion and get a room for ourselves so we can take it farther?"

Monk brushes Yasu off and they begin to playfully bicker as we enter the base.

"_What were you able to deduce, Mai," _Naru thinks to me.

I stretch and yawn as I approach a large window that opens to the hospital's park. There's a couch in front of the window that invites me to lie down across it. _"Not a lot. I'm sure there aren't many spirits here… And before you say anything, _yes_, I wrote that down on my notepad."_ I think to him as I drift off for a nap in hopes of gathering more information.

"The office sure is boring with Mai sleeping all the time and only half talking," I hear Yasu say, his voice being picked up by Naru's ears and transmitting to my mind as my own senses begin to dull.

"I'm training her mind by exorcising the link Gene's created between us. If we're going to be stuck sharing each other's thoughts then I'm going to make sure she learns to utilize the ability to its fullest," Naru says.

"Is it really necessary for her to only communicate with you through telepathy though?" Monk says.

"Think of it as exorcise. Now the two of you are distracting her from sleep; I can tell she's focused on our conversation, so why don't you go find something to do. At least Lin can keep himself busy." Naru orders. Suddenly I'm aware of Lin's typing as he jams away at his keyboard.

Monk sighs noisily and he and Yasu leave the room. Their absence leaves Naru's eyes as his main sense, his ears no longer focusing on their voices, and slowly I begin to make out the image of the office through his eyes.

"_Can't you focus a little?"_ Naru thinks snappishly.

"_I'm trying…"_ My thoughts sound like an irritated grumble.

I watch my vision sway as he rolls his eyes and then leaves the room. A few feet from the base is an empty janitor's closet. He opens it and closes the door, leaving himself in a void of pitch black. Naru kneels to the ground and begins to meditate, leaving my senses completely unaffecting by him and allowing me to finally drift off into a dream.

"It's nice to see you, Mai. It's been awhile," Gene says as I meet him in our dream fog.

"Oh yeah, a whole day or so," I say. Gene stays away from me while I'm near Naru. After our last case, the next day when I went to work, Naru and I weren't one hundred percent sure that our minds were still linked. We slowly began to figure it out throughout the day when we sensed snippets of each other's thoughts. Finally Naru realized it and I turned on Gene to demand to know if it was true.

Naru had his face buried in his hand out of frustration. That meant his eyes were closed so all of his other senses were a little stronger. When Gene told me "I thought it'd be fun to keep you two linked," Naru was able to hear Gene's voice being picked up by my mind.

The look on Naru's face as he heard his brother's voice since who knows how long…

It scared Gene I think.

Since then, Gene won't hang around SPR anymore because he doesn't want to hurt Naru again.

_If that's the case though, why does he keep the link between us?_

I sigh as a pitiful smile spreads across my spirit's face; my eyes sad yet admiring. That was one of the personal thoughts I'm forced to share with Naru, and I'm glad that he doesn't comment on it…

"Mai, could you focus please?" Gene says to me.

"Sorry… Just lost in thought," I say back.

"What did you sense today?"

I think for a second. "There was more activity on the fourth floor. Too be honest I really only felt the presence of… two spirits. One seems childish and energetic, almost like a poltergeist, but I'm sure it's a bound soul. The other is… He isn't sinister… Just… upset? I'd go with that. And he's a lot older that the other spirit."

"Good," Gene says and he looks impressed. "You picked up a lot for someone who was fighting their powers not too long ago."

I ignore his comment. I'm still undecided about if I really want to be a ghost hunter for the rest of my life. "What information do you have to give me?"

"I don't think you'll need my help for this case," Gene says. His eyes shut and he smiles at me before fading away. The cloud soon disperses and I find myself within the hospital; now boisterous with work and activity.

"We have a code blue. We have to get this child help immediately!" A woman urges as she carts a young boy down the hallway; a nurse follows behind, making sure the equipment keeps up with the bed the boy is lying on.

The image vanishes as soon as it appears, lasting long enough for the scene to run by me. The hospital seems to lose its distinction and I begin to see through the walls, floors, and ceiling; my sight still bound by a black abyss as the building resembles a three dimensional blue print. On the fourth floor I make out the glow of a spirit and decide to head towards it.

The spirit is resting in the room that had been giving me chills and as I approach it my surroundings start to take shape again. An old man is sitting on a hospital bed, he's hooked up to a machine and there are several wires attached to his body. A nurse is standing beside him with a clipboard; checking his vitals I assume.

"My grandson was with me. He'll be alright though. I promised him everything would be alright," the old man mumbles and I can't tell if he's talking to the nurse or himself.

This scene, too, fades away and I find myself waking up on the couch in the base.

"Oh great, you're awake," Yasu says as I sit up. "Monk-san and I are going to make a food run, do you want anything?"

"Whatever is fine with me… and Naru's the same," I say.

"Alright great," Yasu says and he and Monk leave the office; Yasu mumbling something about how I'm like a quiet walkie-talkie with great reception.

"What did you learn?" Lin asks me from the far side of the room.

I stand from the couch and stretch. "There's only two spirits here. One's a little boy and the other's an old man." I head for my bag and pull out my dream diary while Lin starts clacking away at his computer.

An idea pops into my head and I pull out my own laptop and leave the room, nearly running into Naru on his way in. I head for the stairs and start climbing to the fourth floor; I don't want to get stuck in the elevator again.

By the time I reach the third floor I'm close to being out of breath so I decide to stop running. I close the door separating the next flight of stairs from the previous flight behind me and begin climbing to the fourth floor.

The metal door handle is icy to the touch as I place my hand on the knob that'll allow me access to the fourth floor. I try to turn the handle but it won't budge. _It wasn't locked when we came up here earlier._ The lights go out and everything is black.

I place my laptop on the ground and then hurry down the stairs to the other door but it's locked too. I start to recite Monk's chant to defend myself from any spirits trying to attack me. The lights begin flickering on and off and I hear a sound that melds the noise of a child laughing and screaming in pain. _Why isn't the chant working?_

Suddenly is black again and I decide to rush back up the stairs.

My laptop turns on and a white screen blinds my unprepared eyes.

_When did I open it?_

There's a step behind me and I turn. My shadow's long and distorted from the laptop's light, wavering and flickering with the appearance of a man.

"_Are you just going to stand there?"_ Naru's thoughts course through my body and pound in my head.

"_It didn't work! What am I supposed to do?"_ My thoughts yell back at him.

"_Where's the self-confidence you used to have? You don't lack the power or the ability. The technique never left you. You just have to believe in yourself again."_

"Believe in myself? How am I supposed to believe in myself when it's not working?" I yell aloud, my voice echoing and clashing into the close knit walls. I stretch out my hand in front of my body as I start to rely on Ayako's mantra. "Rin-Pyou-Tou…"

The shadow leans forward and starts to pull from the ground, creating a body of darkness.

"...Sha-Kai-Jin…"

The body starts to move closer to me and the light coming from laptop starts to waver. _I smell smoke…_

The being inches nearer. '_You've done this plenty of times before, Mai! Come on! You can do it again!'_ I think urgently.

I take in a deep breath and then throw the rest of my energy into the final words of the mantra.

"…Retsu-Zai-Zen!" White energy slashes at the spirit as it leaves the hall. There's a popping and fizzing noise and then my laptop explodes; I duck and cover my head with my arms. The light comes back on. _"Why do spirits keep attacking me?"_ I lean against the nearest wall with my arms wrapped around my legs and my head buried in my knees.

"_They're attracted to your spiritual power…"_

"_I never asked for this power…"_

"_Are you sure about that? Get up, Mai."_

Am_ I sure about that?_ I look up and start to stand but then stop suddenly. A large red fox is standing before me; it's body glowing conspicuously. The fox kneels into a stalking position and then leaps at me; its body flying through mine and causing a burning hot sensation to run through me until I collapse onto the ground.

'_Just once I'd like to do an exorcism and look cool. If I could do that, then even Naru would…'_

'_Monk-san, do you think I could perform an exorcism? I just thought I could try being a little more useful.'_

'_It feels kind of good to actually be useful for once.'_

'_Before they get the chance, I can exorcise the remaining spirits myself.'_

My mind is racing as words I've said in the past start to parade through my head.

'_I have no idea if my flimsy counter spell will work, but…'_

'_It's good to use my power when we need it, but…'_

'_I thought for sure it was a dream… But I really gave you my key!'_

'_No! There's no way we're abandoning him!'_

'_We have to save them.'_

I feel like I'm spinning. My head is so full that my body is becoming disoriented but the thoughts won't stop coming.

'_I need to stop him. But… what if I use the Nine Words and I hurt him? What to do?'_

'_I just need to be in that situation where I dream. I need to sleep.'_

'_I'll be okay. I'll be okay.'_

That voice… When did that voice stop talking to me?

'_I'm being protected.'_

'_Wow. I really am away from my body.'_

'_I'm so glad. They're okay. Everyone's here.'_

'_I'm not scared. I'm not.'_

When did that voice stop telling me that everything is going to be okay? When did it stop telling me what was right and what was wrong?

'_See? There's nothing dangerous about it.'_

'_I know that I'm the most useless around here, but… I think that I'm more useful than before.'_

My heads wracking and I drop back to the floor after trying to sit up. I lean forward one more time and feel supported by a warm hand. My fingers press my temple gently as I slowly open my eyes. _When did that voice disappear?_

"_That voice never left."_

I look up and see Naru standing beside the couch that I'm laying on; I was moved. He's holding my body up and watching me intensely. Monk, Yasu, and Lin are also in the base. I look into Naru's eyes questioningly. What does he mean that the _'voice never left.'_

"_It was your own voice the whole time. You stopped being able to hear it when you stopped believing in yourself,"_ Naru says silently.

"Mai, are you okay?" Monk says. "When we got back Naru said you came in contact with a spirit and collapsed. They had to bring you here."

I hesitate to tell them about the fox, but the thought already slips by my mind and I know Naru is now aware of it. He looks interested in the information but doesn't say anything. "I saw a fox spirit. It jumped through me and I passed out."

"I'll go get ready to drive it out," Monk says and begins to leave the room.

"No, don't!" I say loudly, nearly throwing my body off the couch as I lean forward in an attempt to stop him. I pause. The voice is back. The firm feeling in my gut telling me _truth_ is back. "The fox isn't anything you need to worry about," I say and my feelings feel stronger than ever.

"Are you sure?" Monk says.

"Positive," I say.

"_Are you going to be alright?" _Naru thinks to me.

"_I'm still scared. But I'll be fine for now,"_ I think back.

He gives me a quick pat on the head before heading to his desk; my fried laptop pieces sitting beside his own computer. My face blushes and I try to hide it. _I don't think Naru has ever shown me affection like _that_ before._ Then my face reddens more as I realize he's heard that thought. _I'd kill Gene if he weren't already dead…_

There's a distinct grunt from Naru's direction as he tries to stifle a well hidden laugh from escaping. The sound helps fuel me back to my old energetic self. I've been melancholic for so long that it'd be nice to bounce back. My original idea plays through my head and I decide to give it a go. Before I start I want to add a little spice to the plan.

I stand up, grabbing the room's attention, and face Naru.

"Okay Naru, I want to make a bet and I want there to be witnesses so forgive me for saying this out loud," I start off with.

Naru is the only one who hasn't turned his attention to my direction; still busy researching things on his computer. "I'm listening."

"I've got a little deal for you. If I can cleanse the spirit without help then I want you to fulfill one of my requests as a reward."

"Ooh, how bold of you senpai," Yasu teases as we wait for Naru's response; he's contemplating about whether it will be worth it or not to take me up on my bet.

"Fine. One request," Naru says.

I throw a peace sign into the air towards Yasu as if I'm making a victory pose. Then I sit back down on the couch and begin to relax.

With the notion that my friends are here with me I'm easily able to relax my body into a meditative state. From there I push and pull my spirit out and clamber my way to the fourth floor.

I had an idea come through my head earlier. What if the old man and the kid on the gurney were connected to one another; fueling each other's spirits into frenzy? I was originally going to bring my laptop and try to talk to them while I recorded the conversation but there's no point in trying to avoid direct contact now that my laptop's busted. The idea didn't get me very far anyway.

I find the child's spirit bouncing along a corridor on the fourth floor. The spirit is flimsy and detached; appearing as waves of energy rather than having a form. _It's only here because it doesn't know where else to go._ I walk over to it and wrap my hands around the child's energy.

"It has probably been a while since you've played with someone, huh?" I say gently as the child slowly starts to meld into a conceivable shape. "Do you feel that warmth?" I ask him and he begins to nod his head. "If you go to the warmth you'll find more kids to play with…" The spirit seems to burst with warmth and joy as it rises out of the hospital.

"_One down, Naru."_

I continue down the corridor until I come to the haunted room. The room is covered in shadow; the body of darkness rising from the center of the floor.

"What happened to the boy?" A voice says, booming around the room from all sides.

"He crossed over," I say.

Cabinet doors start opening and slamming shut repeatedly. The lights flicker. The windows rattle. "What? He was never supposed to die! I was supposed to die! Not him!"

"You did die!" I say. "You both died and now he's crossed over. There's nothing left for you here. If you want to be with the child then you'll have to cross over too!"

The mass flies at me and envelops me within it.

"Grandpa… when am I going to see mommy and daddy again?" I ask. I'm sitting in the back seat of an old car that's driving down a highway.

My grandpa chuckles. "In a week kiddo, you're just spending some quality time with your gramps."

"Oh okay! That sounds like fun!"

"It will be," grandpa says.

Something red streaks across the road in front of us and grandpa swerves to miss it, turning the car sideways sharply, and slamming into the oncoming traffic. I scream in fear as a car presses into the side I'm sitting on, pinching me with bending metal.

"I'm scared grandpa," I say roughly. My lungs feel like they're compressing and it's hard to speak.

"Don't worry kiddo. I'm not going to let anything happen to you," my grandpa says in between wheezes. Then everything goes black.

"There was nothing you could do by that point," I say as I come out of the vision. I brush tears off of my cheek and away from my eyes. "That must have been terrible for you to go through but the most you could do was try to comfort him."

"I made him a promise." The shadow man has now taken on his original appearance. "How can I face him now?"

"How can you not?" I say. "Do you really think that he'd prefer you to stay away from him? He still needs you. Dead or alive. Whichever you are he'd wait for you because he _wants_ to see you again. And since you're a spirit too, why keep him waiting longer?"

The old man's spirit seems to grow warmer as tears start to roll down his face. "He was always in the hospital with me. I could sense him but I could never see him."

"Don't fight it any longer… Go to him," I say; my voice as sincere as it can be.

He glows brighter and soon he's rising up as well.

I take in a deep breath and let it back out slowly.

"That was a great job, Mai," Gene says as he appears in the room with me.

I smile at him. "I'm still scared but… I knew I could do it."

**AN: I want to apologize for this chapter being shorter than the other ones but it's still like 12 pages long! Lol. Anyway sorry if the chapter seems short or direct. This is more about development so I used a light hearted case since not all of these chapters should focus on kids that kill their sisters and psycho stalkers and the like!**


	10. ALL I WANT TO DO IS DANCE

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this and I'm not trying to sell any of it.**

**AN: ****「****when I write things in brackets like this****」****it's because the words are coming from the TV. I don't know why I prefer it like that… but I do…**

CASE 8: ALL I WANT TO DO IS DANCE

_ what has come to prevail;_

Blues and Blacks swirl around my vision, interrupted periodically by drops of dark purple that bleed into my surroundings like tie-dye. Suddenly the stars spread around me as I float in space. I'm cold and want to shiver but I'm content and comfortable within my current state of existence.

The swirl of colors melds into the black until I'm enclosed by darkness. I fall forward so that I'm floating upside down and blood starts rushing to my head.

'_Where am I?'_ I wonder as the blood brings more weight to my body and pulls me back to the earth. The darkness soon fades away and I find myself inside of an old play hall. There's a step. Then another step. Then another.

Masako enters the center of the play hall and stares around as a reporter, a cameraman, and a small crew of people follows behind her.

"There aren't any spirits here," she says; her voice monotone as always.

The group trails her to the backstage of the hall; I tail behind unseen. We head down a staircase to a series of changing rooms and rooms containing props.

"What is that smell?" Masako says as she heads for a dark space that has become closed off from everything else.

Her face becomes serious as she pulls back the curtain hiding the room. Her hand falls to her front and wraps around her other hand; concealed by her kimono sleeves. Masako turns to face the crowd that's been tagging her.

"Hara-san? Have you sensed something?" The reporter asks.

"No…" Masako says. "…There are no spirits here…"

Woods cracks and a supporting beam falls from the ceiling, landing on top of Masako as the crowd jumps back.

"Hara-san!"

"Masako Hara-san!"

The group rushes to her as bits of the ceiling above her starts to crumble as well. Dust clouds my vision as I rush to her and try to help.

"…Mai?" Masako asks.

"Are you alright, Masako?" I say as I near her body; the crew pulling her out of the rubble.

"Where did you go, Mai?" She says weakly.

"_Mai?"_ I hear in the back of my head but I'm still trying to dig Masako out. _"Mai!"_

The top half of my body rushes forward as Naru's thoughts yell inside of my head.

I look around my small apartment and realize I've been dreaming.

"_Turn your television on,"_ Naru's thoughts tell me. I fumble around for my remote control and turn on my small TV.

「This is Kyoko Masa reporting from the Wakana Music and Dance Hall」The woman on the screen says on the first channel that pops up. She looks exactly the same as the woman from my dream; her face is squinty and penetrating; her hair's pulled into a tight bun and she's wearing a flattering suit coat and skirt.

「After investigating numerous reports of spiritual sightings, renowned medium Masako Hara was injured when a weak support beam broke free from the ceiling and landed atop her. It's been rumored for months now that the Wakana Music and Dance Hall is haunted. Is it true? Was Hara-san injured because of spiritual activity or because the Wakana Hall should really be closed down?

「Reports indicate that she is set for a full recovery in an undisclosed hospital; though she will be out of commission for several weeks. An associated spiritual team that goes by _Shibuya Psychic Research_ will be arriving at the scene to investigate the situati—」

The woman stops abruptly as the familiar van belonging to SPR arrives and a woman with light magenta hair climbs out followed by Yasu.

_Why are they there?_

「Are you a member of Shibuya Psychic Research?」Kyoko says as she runs up to Madoka.

「Yes, I'm a member of Shibuya Psychic Research and I do apologize but we have work to do and can't participate in an interview」Madoka says, brushing past the woman and marching steadfast into the dance hall. Yasu puts a hand on the back of his head and bows halfheartedly to Kyoko, giving her an apologetic smile before following behind Madoka.

Kyoko turns her attention back to the camera and continues her report, snide remarks about SPR slipping in amongst her broadcastings. A knock at my door tears my attention away from the TV and I move to open it quickly.

"_We're here. Hurry up,"_ Naru's thoughts tell me as I open the door.

"Do you need help packing a bag?" Ayako asks on the other side of the door.

"Nope, I have one ready to go just in case I get called up for a spur-of-the-moment case like this," I say smugly. I change quickly, turn the TV off, grab my bag, and follow Ayako to Monk's car.

"_Tell me once the reporter leaves,"_ Naru thinks as I climb into the car. I'm forced to sit in the middle again, in between Naru and Ayako while Lin sits shotgun and Monk drives.

"Tell me again why the two of you didn't just go with Madoka," Ayako says, irritation filling her voice; obviously not liking that we're cramped in the back either.

"He wants to avoid the media, remember?" I say. "What's Madoka doing here?"

"I don't know, she just suddenly showed up, why don't you ask your boss?" Ayako says. "Why weren't you at work anyway?"

"_So why is Madoka here?" _I think to Naru before continuing my conversation with Ayako. "I was dreaming and must have overslept."

"_Business related reasons…"_ Is all Naru thinks back.

"What were you dreaming about?" Ayako asks me.

"It's nice to see you dreaming outside of cases again," Monk says and I start to feel overburdened by all the conversations I've gotten myself into.

"_Obviously, but what 'business' related reason is it?"_ My thoughts tell Naru as I turn to Monk. "I don't feel scared knowing that Naru is just a thought away." Then I turn to Ayako. "I had a dream that Masako was exploring a dance hall when she was injured and then the next thing I knew, Naru was waking me up and telling me to turn on my TV."

"Whoa that sounds intense," Monk says. "You mean to tell me that you watched Masako get injured while she _was_ getting injured?"

"That poor thing," Ayako says. "What about the spirits though? I know she was injured but I'm trying to figure out why we're taking on the case. Didn't the news broadcast say that she said there weren't any spirits?"

"_I'm surprised that you're keeping up with this,"_ Naru thinks mockingly.

"_Don't avoid my question,"_ I think back with a grumble. "Yes I had a vision of it," I told Monk. Then to Ayako, I added, "Madoka probably wants to find out what happened and asked Naru to take on the case. How did you know what the broadcast said?"

"It's been all over the radio too, Masako-san is pretty famous remember?" Monk says.

"_Madoka wants us to go on a trip…"_ Naru thinks.

"You've been passed out a while, Mai," Ayako says. "It's actually been a few hours since she was injured."

"She's okay though, right?" I ask. _"What kind of trip?"_

We've arrived at the dance hall now and the conversation stops as we hurry out of Monk's car. Monk and Naru stay put and wait for us to leave, driving around to an employee parking lot located on the other side of the building; away from the, now numerous, reporters.

"Are you more members of SPR?" The reporter says, rushing over to Lin, Ayako and me as we head for the front doors to the dance hall.

Kyoko stands in our way, her microphone held up to her lips and the cameraman recording us feverishly. Lin walks past her briskly, his attitude shifting as his face becomes disgruntled. Part of me wonders if it's her ethnicity or just her which is off putting to him.

"Come on, Mai," Ayako says, also ignoring Kyoko and walking into the building.

Kyoko turns her attention to the cameraman. "Once again the members of _Shibuya Psychic Research_ show their true colors by offering rude behavior to the media."

"Hey now! How is it rude to work when we're required? You're being rude by trying to interfere with us during our investigation," I say angrily.

"Mai… That was her plan…" Gene says, appearing behind me.

"_I know… but… she still shouldn't talk bad about us just because we don't want an interview…"_ I think to him though I know he can't hear me.

"And who are you little girl?" Kyoko asks me.

"Mai Taniyama. Third year. I'm an assistant of _SPR_," I state smartly.

Kyoko turns back to the cameraman. "Obviously this is the workings of amateurs if they allow rude children the option of working in their establishment. With further investigation, your dutiful reporter, Kyoko Masa, will find out the truth…"

"Mai, get inside now," Gene says urgently while Kyoko continues to speak to the camera.

I hurry inside but Lin and Ayako aren't waiting for me. _'Which way are they?'_ I wonder as I look around the main lobby. My questioning gaze just causes Gene to shrug his shoulders. _Shows how much help he is…_

It appears that I have three different halls and a few stairwells to choose from so I decide to go straight down the middle. The hallway breaks off a few times, leading to bathrooms or water faucets, until I get to a main door. I open it and discover a large play hall. "This looks familiar."

There isn't anyone in the play hall but I walk inside and scan the room. It's a large stadium filled with rows of seats, a space for an orchestra, and then a wide stage. _'There are no spirits here.'_ I stop and remember Masako's words. This is where I met her in my dream. I head down the length of the stage until I enter another side hallway, leading to the room where Masako had her accident.

"What is this place?" I say aloud to Gene as I move the curtain back again. Behind the fallen rubble that was the ceiling, is an old, burned down dressing room.

"Look here," Gene says at my side. He's pointing at the wall. I head over and notice a star shaped plaque that's smudged in dust and soot. The end of my sleeve is sacrificed as I rub the grime away to read what the plaque says. "**Lead**," Gene says, reading the plaque with me. It's in English.

"As in _**l-ead r-ole**_**?**" I ask.

"Must be…" Gene says.

"Who are you talking to?"

I turn around and find that the reporter has cornered me in the dressing room.

"Myself," I lie quickly and put the plaque back on the wall.

"You shouldn't be here little girl. Your medium friend was hurt here," Kyoko says.

"I know," I say a little too matter-of-factly.

Kyoko grabs my arm and pulls me out of the changing room. "How could you possibly have known that? Huh?"

"I'd appreciate it if you unhanded my colleague." I look over and see Naru moving her hand off of me. In that instant we're swept away.

I find myself sitting in front of Masako. "So, Masako Hara-san is it?" I say while I grab a notebook and skim a few of the things I've jotted down. "How do you feel knowing that you're one of the most renowned mediums in Japan, Masako-chan?"

Masako's sweet, girly, yet straight laced voice irritates me as she starts speaking. "Please, call me Hara-san, and I'm not that great." Her face is half hidden by her kimono sleeve but I can tell from her eyes that she's eating the praise up like small sweet pieces of candy.

'_Gloating shrew…'_ I think angrily. "It's strange that you can seem so proud of yourself even though there have been times when you couldn't even help some of your fans, don't you think?"

"Not at all," Masako says. "I'm neither proud of my power nor am I satisfied with the work I do on some shows, but it is common knowledge amongst psychic and paranormal experts that female mediums can't always be in sync with the _other side. _I'd hoped you'd be smart enough to research that a little before conducting this interview."

The vision fades as soon as it comes and we're left looking at Kyoko.

"I'd appreciate it if _you_ kept your hands away from me," Kyoko says.

"_So she's only acting this way because she's upset about the interview she had with Masako?"_ I ask Naru.

"_Apparently. And she's been holding this grudge for a while…" _Naru thinks back.

"Aren't you going to apologize?" Kyoko says.

"Sorry," Naru says uncaringly and then starts walking back to the center of the building. _"Come on, I'll show you where the base is."_

"_Why were you even back here?" _I think as he and I leave the reporter. She watches flabbergasted, but doesn't chase after us.

"_I came in through the back, remember?"_ Naru says.

"_What about Monk?"_ We turn down one of the hallways that I didn't think of using.

"_I told him to go ahead of me," _Naru answers.

We reach the room that Madoka decided should be used as our base.

"Nice to see that the two of you are here with us. I was starting to think you'd both gotten lost," Madoka says with a joking tone.

"Mai did, but I found her," Naru says.

"_Jerk…_" I think to him and he smirks.

Madoka studies us for a second. "Interesting… You're friends told me about the telepathic connection. I bet it comes in handy." She ends her sentence by staring at Naru.

"It could be handier," he says as he walks to his laptop and turns it on; Lin and Yasu are already researching on theirs and Ayako and Monk are sitting on a couch in the corner of the room, waiting for instruction.

"Now that everyone is here, what's going on with this place?" Monk asks.

"It seems that there has been a curse put on this building," Madoka starts to say. "The lead actresses and dancers are hurt after performing in front of an audience. Generally, it's just small accidents. A finger is cut, they trip and scratch or bruise their legs, and sometimes they have painful migraines. Recently one of the dancers sprained their ankle though, and the actress who replaced her broke an arm."

"And we're sure it's a curse?" Ayako says.

"Well it can't be a spirit," I say. "Masako said so herself. _'_There aren't any spirits her' and I didn't sense any anyway."

"So now we have to figure out who placed the curse, why it was placed, and where it is…" Monk says.

"Yeah, well that's easier said than done…" Madoka says. "We're going to need all of your investigation work because in a case like this we're going to need hard evidence. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how much help Mai's dreams will be since this isn't related to spirits."

"I'll try my best to be useful then," I say jokingly.

With the case laid out for us we decide to split up and collect as much information as possible. Lin, Yasu, and Naru stay behind to review the equipment and pull up newspaper headings about the dance hall as well as employee reports. Monk and Ayako leave to roam the building while Madoka talks with the dance hall's director. I make tea…

Once night comes Madoka shows us to a few rooms that have futons laid out for us to sleep in.

Within my swirling blues and purples, black was becoming more abundant.

'_I wish Masako was here… I want to know if she's okay…'_

From the canopy of night, a star appears and falls from the sky, hitting black in front of me and exploding; the flyaway light taking the form of a person.

'_Who's that?'_ I start walking to the illuminated person but I feel like I'm not getting anywhere. _'Hey… Who are you?'_ My walk slowly changes into a run and I reach out to the light.

"Mai?" I'm beside the person faster than I thought I would be.

"Masako?" I say to the translucent person. The darkness fades and I realize I'm in a hospital, sitting on a chair in front of Masako, who's draped in a gown.

"What are you doing here, Mai?" Masako says.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay…" I say.

"I'm fine, Mai," Masako says sharply. Then her voice softens for a second. "Everyone else has already called in to check on me. I almost thought that you didn't care." A tear sneaks down her cheek. "Thank-you for coming to see me; even if it is as a spirit."

"When did everyone call you?" I ask.

"Right after the incident. When it was first reported," Masako says.

"I see…" I say. "I'm sorry… I was kind of late upon learning this whole thing…"

"And yet you were also there watching," Masako says.

"How did you know?"

"Naru told me, and then I remembered seeing you there before I passed out."

"He told you huh?"

"Yes… He watched the incident through _your_ eyes with the telepathy…"

There's a pause between us. We haven't discussed the telepathy that Naru and I share yet. "Masako, I know that you probably feel that I'm closer to Naru now, but think about it… He called _you_ and checked on you. He cares for _you._"

"Not like the feelings he has for you…" Masako says.

"We can't be sure about that," I say. "He never thinks anything romantic or expressive in that sense."

Masako smiles a little at that fact. _Why am I trying so hard to make her feel better? I want Naru to like me…_ As if sensing my thoughts, Masako's smile drops again.

"It's almost morning, Mai. You should go back. Thank-you again for making me feel better."

I give her a sincere smile and then she and the room fade away; or am I the one who fades away?

After a brief breakfast with my associates, except Naru and Lin who are as anorexic as they are night-owls, I decided to pursue the building. Monk and Ayako decided to drive to the hospital and see if Masako has any more information, Madoka discusses the investigation with the director, and Yasu tries to control the media, which is swarming the doors; angry that they aren't allowed in.

"Put your backs into it ladies!"

A woman's voice, yelling from a studio, catches my attention. I turn into the room and see a line of young women, teenagers, and a couple of children holding onto a long dance bar; a few boys are intermingled amongst the group.

They stretch then ouvert, penche, and pique. The woman scolds them for imperfection and doesn't notice me sneak into the room. I stand along the wall opposite of her and the dancers, watching them practice.

A voice at the back of my head pushes me to attempt a few of the positions but I ignore it as much as possible. As I fight the urge, an image of a small girl appears in my head; dressed like a ballerina. It's me from a long time ago…

"Mamma, why do I dance?" The little me asks as memories fly across my mind.

"Your mother always wanted to be a dancer when she was younger," my mother tells me. Speaking in the third person was something she would do when it was just the two of us; a little personality quirk that she would let slide when we were alone together. "I've always viewed dancing as one of the most beautiful and graceful art forms. Especially ballet."

My mom picks me up and flings me high into the air before pulling me to her chest in a strong bear hug. "I also named you after 'dance'."

"But I thought my name was written as 'linen cloth,'" I say.

"That's because your father liked it. It was a compromise. 'Mai' can mean 'linen cloth' when written as your name is, but it can _also_ mean 'dance' when written with a different kanji," mom explains. "Do you not like dancing?"

"It's fun!" I say energetically. She set's me back down.

"Then go dance."

I rush into the room where my dance instructor and classmates are and take my spot at the bar.

When my mother died, I stopped attending the lessons. It didn't seem as important anymore. Watching the dancers now though, makes dancing seem like it would be a great escape from the nightmares that seem to fill the majority of my dreams now.

"Do you call that perfection?" The instructor yells before slapping one of the students across the face. "Do it again!"

The woman turns and notices me as I gasp at her appearance. Her face is badly burned. Scars appear etched deep into her skin and one of her eyes looks like it has gone blind.

"You," she says as she starts walking to me. "I'm Maiko Mami. And you?"

"Mai Taniyama," I say.

"Stand up straight," she orders and I comply. She looks at me critically. "Nice form. You've danced before. Are you here to audition?"

"N-no… I'm with Shibuya Psychic Research."

"That's a shame. You look like you could meld right it with these losers. Let me know if you change your mind." Maiko turns away from me and hurries back to her students who had taken the few seconds of her absence to rest.

I sneak back out of the room and into the hallway. That woman had sent chills down my spine and I can't tell if it's because she was terrifying, personality and appearance wise, or if there's something off about her.

"_We'll look into Mami-san,"_ Naru's thoughts tell me; obviously he has been listening into my thoughts again.

While Naru, Lin, and Yasu are looking into the woman, Ayako and Monk take over the role of handling the reporters. Madoka still keeps to the director most of the time and we don't see much of her. During her visits she informs us that she's trying to find leads through the director and she is also trying to uncover more information about Maiko Mami.

While the team does more investigation work, I decide to explore the burned down dressing room again; since I was so _rudely_ interrupted the last time.

I make my way down the long hallway and to the changing rooms where I find the room I want, still hidden away slyly by the curtain that drapes over the entrance; the door's missing. After climbing through the rubble I stumble for a second, kicking up dust that causes me to cough a bit.

'_This place must have been amazing,'_ I think as I look around. There are dirtied light bulbs that surround a large mirror overlooking a vanity dresser three times the one I have back home. Burned up wigs lay strewn across the floor, the manikin heads they once sat upon are busted and also smeared in grime. I pick up a broken piece. _'Porcelain?' _

Aside from a burnt down chair the next interesting thing I find is a closet. The door is still attached but just barely. I open it to see if I can find any intriguing costumes, which I do, but the closet is much longer than I thought it would be. It stretches far enough that the darkness covers the end and I can't tell where the wall is so I reach out to try and find it. At arm's length I can't feel anything though, so I take a step into the closet and lean forward. A few more steps in and I start walking and don't stop. Without warning my foot drops several inches and I stumble down cold cement stairs.

"Ahh!" I say while I rush down the stairs, my hands brush along the close nit walls while I try to slow down and then I slam into another door. "Um… um…" I mumble as I try to figure out what I should do next. My cell phone light helps illuminate my dark surroundings once I've tapped the flashlight app.

There's a plaque on the door that says _storage._

I open the door and enter. It's covered in mounds of discarded props that I have to climb over. My phone shakes and dies and I freeze, lost in the storage cave. _'Crap… I should head back.'_ I think. _But what way should I go?_

A red and orange glow catches my attention; the fox stares at me from behind. Once I've caught a glimpse of it, it turns and rushes away so I chase after it, rushing as fast as I can without tripping over anything and falling flat on my face.

It feels like forever but as soon as I start regretting my decision to follow the fox I realize that I've made it to the dressing room. I close the door and head past the curtain, closing that beside me once I've come back to the hallway.

My breath is ragged as I lean against the wall. I try to check the time but my phone won't turn back on so I figure it's out of power. _There aren't any spirits here to affect the electronics anyway._ I slide to the ground. _I'll just rest here a sec._

As the curtain rolls away, the lights blind me from everything in front of me. _It's the same as if the curtain were still here._ I take my pose, one of my legs rising as I lean to the side and stretch one arm far in front of me, the other rising slowly over my head. I turn, take two steps, jump, and then turn and fall back into the arms of my partner.

"_Naru"_ I think as I look into his cold, penetrating eyes. His hand is holding me by the small of my back, covering more space than I thought it would. He dips me and leans forward, our faces close together, lips nearly touching. My hand comes up to stroke the soft skin of his cheek before he lifts me back up and we continue our dance.

After more spins and steps, our story's conclusion played out through elegant movement, we come to a stop and bow to our audience. _My_ audience and _my_ man. In my personal dress studio I remove my dress and change into something more comfortable yet still flattering.

"Naru?" I say as I leave my dress room, giving the star on it a quick smirk. Then I see them. Naru and Masako intertwined in one another's arms; locked in a deep kiss, pressed against the door to a closet. _How could he do this to me?_

The door to my dressing room slams behind me as I hurry back inside. I grab a champagne bottle, given to me by a fan, and smash it across my vanity, alcohol splashing everywhere.

"Cheating… stupid…" I grumble about Naru as I pull out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, starting the cigarette and taking a long drag from it. _If it weren't for these I wouldn't have my figure… and if it weren't for my figure that damn harlot would have my position._ I flick the ashes onto the ground and watch as fire erupts. _What? The alcohol didn't even spill around this area. Is there even enough alcohol in the champagne to cause this?_

I hurry to the door again but the fire shoots past me across the floor, grabbing a hold of my clothes and eating away at the fabric as it rushes upward. I burst out of the room and fling my clothes off as I roll across the floor, trying to put out the fire.

I scream at the top of my lungs as the flames eat away at my face.

"Mai?" I'm being shaken harshly until my eyes open. Naru is staring at me. "Calm down Mai. It was just a dream." I nod my head and notice that Monk and Ayako are standing next to him. Maiko and her students are peeking at us from the entrance to their dance studio. Ayako wraps an arm around my shoulder and guides me back to the room we're sleeping in.

Before falling asleep I set my phone on the charger and drink three cups of water; I'd screamed myself hoarse.

"_Apparently the woman in your dreams, Mami-san, was targeted. Someone somewhere wanted to hurt her and her reputation so they poured gasoline onto her carpet,"_ Naru explains to me the next morning.

"_What about the smell?"_ I think back to him.

"_I can only assume it was masked by the scents of all of the perfumes and sprays she kept."_

"The director has agreed to let us interrogate Mami-san," Madoka says, walking into our base. "Her class will have their first break in five or ten minutes so he wants us to meet in his conference room now."

Naru nods his head and he, Lin, and Yasu follow her out of the room; Monk and Ayako have gone back to monitoring the dwindling reporters outside.

"I wish I could be of more help," I mumble as I slink onto Naru's chair and stair dumbly at his locked computer screen.

"You could be if you used the telepathy right," Gene says, appearing beside me.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Do you remember when I possessed you and interrogated Aki-san?"

"Yes?"

"That's part of a routine that Noll and I used to do when I was still alive. We call it the _runaround."_

"Well that's original…"

Gene looks at me. "Care if I demonstrate?"

'_He's asking me if he can possess me?'_ I wonder to myself. I nod my head in agreement and then relax my body so that he can take control. As he merges with me I feel a break; a loss of connection, like something's been cut off from me.

"_Can you hear me when I think?" _Gene asks me with his mind.

"Yes, I can," I say. There's no reason for me to hide my thoughts because, as a spirit, Gene's the only one who can hear me.

"_We begin by getting into Noll's mind. We need to know what he knows. Normally I'd do this by doing field work like you and then going through scenarios with him. He generally tries to hide his thoughts but unlike you, I have an easier time accessing them. In this case though, because we don't have enough information, we need to see what he's learned."_

Gene thinks so fast that it's difficult for me to keep up. _How can he expect me to go over ideas with Naru? I'm not on Naru's level._

"_To begin, let's login to his computer."_

He traces the keyboard; pressing in what he assumes is Naru's password. **E. U. G. E. N. E.** Then the computer loads and we have access; Naru's files openly displayed on the screen.

Eugene skims the report that Naru has come up with, his thoughts mumbling a translation for me as I try to read over his shoulder but everything is in English. _"Dance club while in high school… …Honor student… …Renowned actress… …Singer… …Occult club…"_ Gene's eyes light up. _"This is…"_

Gene stands from Naru's chair and leaves the base.

"Do you even know where we're going?" I ask as I watch my body turn another corner and knock briskly on a door.

"_What do you think I do all day Mai? If I'm going to haunt my little brother's assistant then I might as well make myself useful too,"_ Gene thinks as the door opens.

"Mai? Is something wrong?" Madoka asks as she opens the door.

"Not at all Madoka," Gene says with my voice and my face, appearing charming. "I just wanted to do the old **runaround** with Noll."

I notice hers, Naru's, and Lin's eyes widen as Gene enters the office. The director and Maiko watch uneasily. Ayako and Monk are also in the room, sitting on either side of Kyoko.

"The brat enters the office, appearing snide and over confident," Kyoko mumbles into a recorder.

Gene walks to Maiko and stands beside her. "How long have you been a dance instructor?"

"Excuse me?" Maiko says.

"You are aware that we're here to interview you, right, Mami-san?" Naru says from in between Lin and Madoka.

"Of course I'm aware," Maiko snaps. "Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"You _are_ the one failing to answer _her_ question," Naru says.

"Was it _before_ or _after_ your accident that you started teaching dance classes?" Gene says.

"What does that matter?" Maiko says.

"I'd assume that once you realized your face wouldn't get you lead roles you decided to retire early…" Naru says and I decide to stand in a corner and watch the debacle. Maiko's head is jumping from side to side as Naru and Gene continued their banter.

"It's so weird thinking that after someone tried to kill you and left your face disfigured you'd _still_ come back here just to teach some stupid dance class," Gene says and it's weird hearing my voice ring out in such a snide way. "I'd expect you'd be _spiteful."_

"Why would I be—" Maiko starts to say but she's caught off by Naru.

"And it's interesting that you were in the occult club while you were in high school… I was actually quite caught off guard when I'd learned that."

"Accidents happening left and right to the women who try to replace you… Such an odd coincidence," Gene says. "Don't you think?"

"What are you implying?" Maiko yells. "That I cursed them or something?" The room goes silent as they stare at Maiko. "What are you looking at?"

"Well I'd think that was obvious," Gene says. He gives Naru a quick glance and Naru nods his head before standing up and walking to Maiko's other side. Both of them have their arms folded over their chests as they look at her.

"So how did you curse them?" Naru says.

"Talisman? Spell?" Gene says.

"Where is the curse?" Naru says.

"In your old dress studio? Somewhere in the dance hall? In the storage room under your dressing room?" Gene says.

"If you bastards already know where it is then why do you feel the need to interrogate me?" Maiko says. She pushes herself out of her chair quickly and then storms out of the room.

"_That's how you do the runaround," _Gene says while he and I switch places so that I can control my body again. _"You couldn't tell, but we use telepathy when we do that."_

"After a heated banter, two of SPR's youngest members were able to bully an answer out of Maiko Mami-san. Quite the display from a group of paranormal researchers," I hear Kyoko say as we leave the room.

Madoka and the others head back for the base but Naru turns abruptly and begins to walk away so I decide to follow him.

"_Where are you going, Naru?"_ I think to him but he doesn't respond. His pace is brisk and soon we've arrived to the back entrance. _"Naru, what are you doing?"_

He opens the door and escapes outside, the sun blinds me but I still follow. Naru looks around as we near the street, and hails a taxi. The car pulls over and the door opens so he and I climb inside.

"What are you doing?" Naru says to me as I sit next to him.

"You just took off so suddenly that I followed you," I tell him. "Where are we going?" The taxi driver looks at Naru with a gaze that's asking him the same question.

"The train station," Naru says and we start moving.

"_Why are we going to the train station?" _I ask but he doesn't answer so I repeat myself aloud.

Naru looks at me for a few seconds but I can't tell what he's thinking. "He severed the link didn't he?"

My eyes widen and my head turns as I look for Gene. He's sitting in the front seat with the cab driver. "Yes, I did," he tells me, so I nod my head to Naru.

"Masa-san, the reporter. She had a film crew on standby and I can only assume that they've infiltrated the dance hall," Naru explains. "I just want to get away from the media's spotlight so I figured I'd escape for awhile."

"What are we going to do at the train station? You don't like large crowds so I can't imagine you want to people watch," I say and Naru frowns. "This plan was really spur-of-the-moment for you, huh?"

"I wasn't expecting to do the **runaround** with Eugene today so I hadn't planned on giving that woman something to gossip about. Once we were done, I knew I had to get out…" He turns away from the window he's been looking out of and faces me. "I suppose you won our bet. What favor did you want me to do?"

My face flushes red and I drop my gaze from his eyes. The spongy feel of the seat entices my hands as they search for a distraction so that my heart can stop beating so quickly. "D-d-date…" I force myself to say; if our minds were still linked he'd know what I wanted anyway.

"That much I knew already," Naru says. "I was hoping for elaboration."

"…W-whatever's fine…"

Naru doesn't speak again and we sit in silence for several minutes until we reach the station. It doesn't take long to board the train and for a while, hours even, we stand in the train, holding onto the bars while the sun slowly sets around us.

Once night has overtaken the sky, Naru finally disembarks from the train with me following behind him. We've ended up in a small town, but he follows the road leading away from the town rather than walking further into it.

"Where are we going, Naru?" I ask as I try to keep up with him; standing on the train for so long seems to have weakened my legs.

"Away from the lights," Naru says, mumbling as we walk further away. It takes another hour or so before we stop being able to see the town. After another hour we can barely make out the city's glow. I check my phone as Naru turns off the road and starts walking across a field; it's nearly one in the morning. "This should be far enough."

I realize that Naru and I are completely alone, in the middle of the night in an open field, and my face starts to glow red as he begins to remove his coat and spread it across the grass.

"That's about as romantic as I'm going to get," he says.

"W-what do you want me to do?" I stutter. _There's no way he's thinking what I'm thinking._

"I want you to lie down," he says and I'm nearly floored by his words. My legs buckle and I collapse onto the moist grass, sitting abruptly.

"The grass is kind of moist…"

"That's what the coat it for."

"Oh…" I hesitate for a second and then rest the top half of my body on his coat. My breath catches as I look up at the sky.

"They're beautiful aren't they?" Naru says and I realize he doesn't plan on making a move on me. _Of course he wouldn't do that..._ His gaze is up at the stars.

"I've never seen so many before…"

Naru sits and then lies down as well. We're not lying beside one another but I still feel close to him.

The stars shine in absolute abundance and I can make out clusters and colors sprinkled across the sky. Not a single cloud threatens to ruin our view and I can't help think that this night was set up perfectly.

Naru points at a few specific stars. "That one is Orion."

"Which one?" I say and he circles the stars with the end of his finger.

"And that cluster is **Scorpio** or Sasori…"

I play connect the dots as Naru picks out the main stars that make out the body of the constellation.

"This one is **Ursa Major** and that one is **Ursa Minor**."

"OoGuma and KoGuma."

"That's right."

Naru starts talking at length about the various constellations in the sky and gives me elaborate explanations whenever I ask a question. It's the most I've ever heard him talk about anything.

"Why do you know so much about the stars?" I find myself asking after we've lied on the grass, talking about the small shimmering lights for well over two hours; Lin called Naru shortly after we started star gazing and was currently driving to get us.

"Star gazing and astrology in general is a big part of various fortune telling and is said to affect the spiritual plane as well as psychics so I felt it would be smart to learn about them," Naru explains.

"You're incredible as always, Naru," I say. We continue talking about the stars until Lin arrives and we pile into the van. I sit alone in the back, the date now over, and even though I feel happier than I ever have, a part of me is sad that Naru can't read my thoughts. The thoughts I have racing through my mind right now are too embarrassing and revealing for me to express to him and my life would be easier if he could hear them for himself. At the same time, I wish I could know what's going through his head now and what he was feeling during the date itself.

'_Why did Gene have to go and break the link?'_ I think to myself as we travel back to the dance hall. It's nearly five in the morning and I know the sun will be showing itself in just a little while. Lin and Naru might be insomniacs but I'm nowhere close. I've been up too long and can feel myself nodding off to sleep.

My vision has cut out anything unnecessary. On my left I see Naru, Gene and all of my friends from SPR; even John is there. On my right I can see myself. I'm beautiful and glowing; dancing elegantly under a single spotlight. In the middle is the large fox and everything else is removed, leaving behind black, empty space. I have to move my head from one side to the other in order to see the two paths set in front of me.

Which one should I go to? On one side are all of my friends. On the other, it looks like I'm performing as the star in a show. I want to hurry to the dancing me and take her place so that I can feel the heat of the spotlight and the gaze of the audience. I want to run to my friends and joke around with them. Greet John because I haven't seen him in a long time. Chide Masako because I went on a date with Naru. And joke with Ayako about all the alone time she's spent with Monk this case.

But if I go to my friends, I'll be surrounded by danger. I'll constantly be overrun by spirits and ghosts that are trying to kill me. Vampire-like monsters might await me at my next case. I could come across zombies and wooden gods again. If I choose to dance though, I'll be alone. I won't see my friends as much and I'll probably never see Naru again. I don't know if I'd ever be able to face him. Technically I could be injured by being a dancer too, but the chances aren't as high.

There's risk involved in both scenarios. There's joy that comes from both sides. Safety and isolation? Friends and jeopardy?

The fox continues to sit in the middle of both choices, equally distant from me. _What does it want me to do? Why is it here watching me?_

"What should I do? What path should I take?" I yell loudly, pushing my voice out with as much force as possible.

The fox turns around and walks away, being swallowed up in the darkness. It won't choose for me.

My eyes open and I sit up quickly; I'm lying on a couch again. I see Naru standing near Madoka; they're discussing the case. Before I can stop myself I fall forward, off of the couch, pick myself up, and rush to Naru's side. My arms grab around his body and my head buries into his chest. I'm convulsing, tremors running down my body as I try to contain my tears but they rush down my face and I fight the urge to stop sobbing. Even though I'm making everyone in the room uncomfortable, my grip on Naru tightens. _'Don't leave me.'_ I think wholeheartedly.

No matter what decision I make. If I choose to stay a ghost hunter or if I look into another career, I can't think of losing a single person in this room, and I especially can't stand to lose Naru. _'Don't leave me.'_ They've helped me grow and change so much over the last two years.

"Don't leave me."

My breath catches and I finally contain myself, pulling away from him.

I can't stand to face him so I drop my head and look at the ground, my face burning from embarrassment.

Naru taps his knuckles on top of my head, gently punishing me for my behavior. "Don't be stupid, I'm not going anywhere." He leaves the base calling out, "Hurry up, we have work to do."

Modoka give me a confused look before following behind Naru, Lin and Yasu look at me disgruntled but still genuinely unaffected. Ayako slaps my back and then smirks as she passes me. Monk ruffles my hair.

"What's taking you?" he says as I stand and watch him leave. "Come on."

After a short walk we arrive at Mami-san's old dressing room.

"Mami-san has gone missing," Monk explains. "We didn't realize she was making an escape when she stormed out of the interrogation but apparently she felt the need to go into hiding or something."

"Whatever she's doing," Ayako interjects. "It doesn't involve showing her face here."

We enter the room and open the closet, then head down the stairs. Naru and Lin have come prepared with flashlights.

The storage room is actually smaller than I thought, but still covered almost entirely by abandoned props and damaged costumes. After making our way through a few piles we realize that a wall of props was made to cut off the end of the room. We take down the wall and reveal a large shrine. The flashlights highlight unlit candles and demonic paintings outlining the place of worship.

"This is one hell of a hex," Madoka says as she, Naru, and Lin look over the shrine. Monk and Ayako join in while Yasu and I stand off to the side.

"How are we going to get rid of it?" Monk says.

"Luckily I've come prepared for demonic curses," Madoka says and she pulls out a vile. "I saw your friend John not too long before I made my trip to Japan. He gave me this as a gift."

"Is that holy water?" Monk says.

"It is," Madoka says. "We'll sprinkle some of this on the mark so that the curse is lifted and then we'll break and burn the altar.

"Sounds like a plan," Ayako says.

Madoka whispers to the vile for a second, as if giving it a prayer, and then opens it and splashes the holy water across the altar table. The white paint, used to create the markings, cracks upon contact with the water and a groan emits from the table.

Monk starts chanting in order to keep any evil spirits from attacking up while Lin and Naru break the table apart. Everyone grabs a part of the table and we head for the building's boiler room, throwing the pieces into the furnace and watching them burn away; the fire eating away at them abnormally fast.

"That takes care of the case then," Madoka says as we reenter the base and start packing everything up.

"That's it?" I say.

"Well we found our culprit and took out the curse," she says.

"Did we ever find out what attacked Masako?" I say.

"The room was weakened from the fire damage," Naru says. "That beam was bound to fall sooner or later and unfortunately for Hara-san, she was there when it finally did."

"I see," I say.

Not everything went as smoothly as we hoped it would. We were greeted by the several flashes of camera lights when we finally started bringing everything to the van. In hopes of avoiding the media, the van was parked in the back of the building, but Kyoko realized what our intentions were so we were overrun by media attention as we started putting everything into the vehicle.

'_Naru isn't going to be happy about this…'_ I think as I watch Naru get cornered by Kyoko and her cameraman. _'There are reasons he doesn't want to be on the news.'_

**AN: Dance information was taken from **_**centralhome**_**. Constellation names and translations came from a report called Modern Japanese Names for Constellations written by Steve Renshaw and Saori Ihara as well as a report called Astronomy and Mythology in Ancient Japan.**

**Fast Facts #14: Mai's name is written **麻衣**which means 'linen cloth' in Japanese. **舞**is also read as 'mai' but means 'dance' while **舞子**is read as 'maiko' and means 'child of dance'. **

**Fast Facts #15: Maiko's last name, Mami (** 真美 **) means "true beauty", Kyoko (** 挙子 **) means "respectful child", and Masa ( **真 **) means "true"**

**Fast Facts #16: Wakana (** 和奏 **) means "harmonious music" as in the **_**"Harmonious Music" Music and Dance Hall**_

**AN2: I've placed links to my deviantart, twitter, blog, and (newly created) podcast on my author home page thingy. Get involved and communicate! Review my story(ies)! LOL **（≧▽≦）ゝ


	11. WHAT MAKES A GOOD ASSISTANT?

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this and I'm not trying to sell any of it. **

**AN: I've been waiting to write out this chapter since before I even started writing the fic. Honestly, I think this chapter really marks a change in Mai that will be reflected in later chapters. It is literally the reason I came up with the story, it's the reason I came up with the idea of "Personal Cases", and the reason why I decided to use "bold" text to represent a foreign language. I don't think any other chapter will meet this chapter's length, or at least I hope not, but if so then so be it. I just wanted to thank everyone who takes the time to read this story, everyone who decides to follow the story for updates, and especially to everyone who sends me a review because it's a combination of all those things that drives me to write the story and that actually motivates me to finish chapters that are quite lengthy… such as this one.**

**AN2:****「****are used for both radio/TV broadcasts as wells as writings placed on white boards****」…****apparently.**

PERSONAL CASE: WHAT MAKES A GOOD ASSISTANT?

The goals of society or…

"Mai!" An annoying voice calls to me from somewhere. My eyes are shut and I don't care to look at wherever Gene's standing or floating or whatever it is he does nowadays. "Mai!" His voice fills the entire room and I'm happy that my neighbors can't hear him. The reason he's being so loud is because I'm currently trying to drown out my alarm clock and he's trying to yell over it.

"Oh shut up," I say before he can yell my name again. I roll over and throw my hand on top of my alarm, searching for the _off_ button so that I can rid myself of its blaring racket. I don't mean to be in a bad mood but it _is_ two in the morning.

My body wakes up after I stretch and yawn and take a quick shower. The shirt I decide to wear hugs my body gently and I have a loose skirt on that goes to my knees as well as sandals. Gene told me ahead of time that I should wear clothes that are as comfortable as possible today. I also put a pair of socks in my purse incase my feet get cold later.

After nearly throwing up I decide to take a Dramamine pill to ease my nerves; even if I won't be flying for several more hours.

I gave myself some extra time to get ready so I end up waiting ten minutes for Monk to arrive.

"Good morning, kiddo," Monk says through a drawn out yawn as I climb into the backseat of his car. "Got everything? Bags? Passport?"

"Check and check," I say with a wide grin.

Ayako, who's sitting shotgun, moans annoyed. "How can you be so cheerful at two-fifty in the morning?"

I shrug, nod to Yasu, who is sitting in the back seat with me, and then look out the window, watching the lights stream past us as we head to Tokyo.

"Where is the long term parking again?" Monk mumbles as we arrive at the airport.

"This way," Ayako says, pointing at a sign reading _Long-Term Parking._

Yasu and I grin at each other, both of us humored by how married-like Monk and Ayako act. After we find a vacant spot, we park, and then head for the airport.

"Why do we have to be here so early?" Ayako whines as we check our bags in at one of the several stations in the large airport. It's surprisingly busy for three in the morning.

"Something about always arriving three hours early for international flights," I say, trying to remember Naru's words as best as I could.

She sighs again and we head for the security line. Gene's the one who told me to wear the sandals, and I'm happy I did because I don't have to fuss over my shoes like the others, especially Ayako, when I passed through the line.

"Where's the terminal?" I ask once we've collected our carryon's and shoes from the security guards.

"Looks like we have to go that way," Yasu says, pointing out a sign that indicates our terminal.

"I'm starting to think we were supposed to get here sooner," Ayako says while we head for the gate and terminal for our flight.

"I bet Naru and the other's are already here," Monk says.

It takes another fifteen minutes for us to reach the gate, and sure enough, Naru, Lin, Masako, and Madoka are already there.

"I thought I told you to be here three hours early," Naru says, snapping at us as we walk over to the group.

"Calm down, man, we got here at three, it just took awhile to get through security," Monk says, trying to calm him down.

"Meaning that you've arrived at the gate at four-forty and _not_ three," Naru says; his voice raising and causing heads to turn around us.

"Don't you worry about Mister Grumpy-Pants," Madoka says as she throws one of her arms around Naru's shoulders and then messes with his hair using her free hand. "He's just in a bad mood because he's tired."

"I thought the whole point of getting here three hours early was to avoid being slowed down by security and the like, especially when travelling internationally," Yasu says. "Isn't that right, boss?"

Naru rolls his eyes and shrugs out of Madoka's grasp.

The rest of us decide to take a seat and I pull out my plane tickets to go over everything again. Our flight leaves at approximately 6:10am and arrives in Korea at 8:30am. From Korea we take off again at 2:15pm and then arrive in London, England at 6:25pm. That's roughly six and a half hours of flying and a total of over fifteen hours of sitting. I put my tickets away and decide to stand_._

Nearly everyone falls asleep as we wait for our first plane ride. Naru stays awake but refuses to talk and Yasu decides to read a book he brought called _British Paranormal Investigation_ by _Professor A-B Davis._

I head for a small merchandise store and by a granola bar. We decided that we would all wait until we reach Korea to eat breakfast but I want a snack to settle my stomach until then.

"Your pill will be fine for now but you may want to take another one when we reach the next airport,"Gene advises me as I walk up and down the terminal a few times until we start being called to board the plane.

The plane is the same size as the last one I road in a few years ago, during a school trip. Madoka was boasting about how international planes were huge and had multiple TVs and wide aisles. This one seemed pretty standard.

Masako, Yasu, Monk, Ayako, and I take our seats in the coach side of the plane while Naru, Lin, and Madoka sit in first class; I should have seen that coming. I didn't get cold right away and instead I fell asleep during the shorter of the two flights.

"So Mai-sempai, are you ready to put your English to the test?" Yasu asks me. The group is sitting around a small table near one of the restaurants in the airport. We found our gate and decided it was time for breakfast; even Naru is with us, sipping coffee.

I laugh awkwardly to Yasu in reply but instead of brushing off his question it looks like I've caught the attention of the others.

"Are you not good at English, Mai?" Madoka says from across the table.

"Well… I mean… I pass my class fine. Average I guess…" I say, trying to dissuade the attention.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Masako says to me before sipping at her tea.

"I just haven't had a lot of opportunities to use my English outside of class so I don't know how proficient I'll be," I say. "I'm sure I'm not the only one here who's like that… right?"

"Please," Ayako says brashly. "I was raised by doctors. They provided me the best education they could so my English is pretty spot on."

"Too bad you haven't done anything with that education," Naru says without missing a beat.

"Excuse me, brat?" Ayako says as Naru ignores her and continues to sip his coffee.

Masako turns to me. "I'm surprised that your English _isn't_ that great. Even my English skills are good, though _I have_ been to America."

'_Brag all you want Masako but that won't impress Naru,'_ I think angrily. I turn to Monk and say, "I'm sure your English is good too, huh?"

"Sorry kiddo but I've traveled to America a couple of times too and a few of my songs are in English, so yes, I know the language pretty well," he says.

Yasu and I don't need to talk for me to know that his English skills are amazing; his annoyingly cheerful expression is enough to tell me.

The conversation moves on and we chat about a few things here and there; some of them move back to the gate to nap until the plane loads until it's just Masako, Naru, and I sitting at the table.

Masako and I glare heavily at each other, neither of us willing to leave the table so that the other could be left alone with Naru.

'_I should have never told her that he took me on a date,'_ I think to myself. _'She's conned him into going on several dates of her own though so I don't know why she's angry with me.'_

"Mai, that's your plane," Gene says to me suddenly and I notice he's pointing to the windows outlining our gate.

I decide to ignore Masako and Naru and instead head to the gate so that I can gawk at the plane. It looks like it's three times the size of the one we flew in earlier. With my departure, Naru leaves the table, quickly followed by Masako, and the group gathers on a single row of chairs while we wait for the flight attendant to call us onto the plane.

Within half an hour we've seated ourselves in the plane. Naru, Madoka, and Lin are back to sitting in the first class section of the plane. Monk, Ayako, and Masako sit beside one another in the middle row of the plane while Yasu sits next to the window and I sit next to him on the isle side. _'I wanted the window seat…'_

The plane is a lot bigger than the last. The seats seem to be made out of a comfier material. There's a large TV at the front of our section and the back of every seat also has its own, smaller TV. After another ten minutes we finally take off and begin the four hour long flight to England. _'It's about time for a nap.'_

"Mai… wake up," Naru says to me. He's shaking me awake, causing the other passengers to look at us wearily. I pull my head from off of Yasu's shoulder as my eyes attempt to open and look at him.

"What's wrong, Naru?" I say.

Naru leans down beside me and whispers feverishly into my ear. "Tell your little ghost friend to leave me alone. It's cold enough in this stupid airplane without him freezing me half to death."

I'm suddenly aware of Madoka's laughing coming from the front of the plane as well as Gene's snickering to my side.

"Why can't you tell him?" I say.

"Because apparently he only likes to listen to you," Naru snaps and then storms off. I look at Gene but he just grins back.

"Don't worry," Gene says. "I just wanted to tease him a little. I'll stop now." He vanishes but I know he's gone to possess my key for the time being.

Eventually the four hours pass and we finally land. The hustle through immigration is hectic but goes as smoothly as possible and then we find ourselves waiting for our luggage, being greeted by an old, wrinkly man wearing a brown suit, a matching brown hat, and carrying an umbrella.

"**It's good to see you again Master Oliver,"** the old man says in a slurred British accent that I have trouble processing. He turns to Madoka and Lin and greets them as well and then turns to the rest of us. **"Please to meet all of you. My name is Eldon; the Davis's butler. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."**__He passes by each of us so that we can give him our names while he takes our hands in for a handshake.

"**I do apologize that Master Davis couldn't be here to greet you Master Oliver. He's busy with the guests, you know,"** Eldon says to Naru as we gather our bags which have started unloading onto the conveyor-belt.

Naru doesn't say anything but allows Eldon to grab his bags for him. Once our items are collected we head outside to the limousine that Eldon has parked nearby. As soon as we step out of the doors Eldon has his umbrella open and over Naru's head to save him from the drizzle.

"Why is it raining?" I complain as we hurry to the long car.

"It rains here a lot actually," Madoka says and I turn to look at her; she's brought an umbrella with her and is carrying it over hers and Lin's heads.

Eldon opens up the door to the back of the vehicle and stands by it as we pile in. Once we're safe from the rain, our luggage stored in the trunk of the car, he closes the door and ambles to the driver's seat.

At six-fifty in the evening London is as bustling as ever. The roads are narrow and winding and I get lost trying to remember the route we're taking. The limousine splashes through small puddles that are forming from the rain and I feel that this is a city that's almost never completely dry. Hundreds of lights streak by us, contained by the dreary, gray sky and I can't help take in every possible detail that I can; fat pigeons that barely wobble out of the way of passing pedestrians and a variety of panhandlers; including a man covered completely by gold spray.

The atmosphere changes when we exit the city. Suddenly the moisture is more beautifully expressed by the brilliant deep shades of green that color and highlight the large tree-like bushes that follow the still narrow road. The grass is equally green and lush and I'm overtaken by the life of it all and the openness of the night sky. The further we get from the city the more I want to look through the window so that I can see the stars. Through the breaks in the clouds overhead I can make out multitudes of tiny, shimmering white dots that remind me of my night with Naru. _'No wonder he became interested in astrology when he gets to admire these whenever he wants.'_

The Davis's house is the most exuberant thing though. _'No… not a house… a mansion.'_

We drive up a long, cobblestone drive way that forms a circle in front of the double doors to the mansion, and splits off to an employee and guest parking lot that's filled with thirty or so cars.

I can make out four stories from the front side of the house, but its sitting on the top of a hill and I have a feeling that other stories have become hidden by the descent towards the back. Naru exits the vehicle first, followed by Madoka, then Lin, while the rest of us attempt to help Eldon with the luggage.

"**Oh no sirs, you are the young master's guests," **Eldon says as an equally old woman, with wispy white hair held in a tight bun, walks over to him and helps him unload our belongings.

"Hurry up," Naru says to us from the steps leading to the doors.

One of the front doors opens and a woman appears, jumping at Naru and wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. I recognize her short, somewhat curly blonde hair and frail looking body. She's his mother.

"**Noll! I'm so happy Madoka was able to convince you to come!"** His mother says as she hugs onto him tighter.

"**Mother, please, I can't breathe,"** Naru says and she loosens her grip on him slightly.

"**Oliver, it's been too long,"** a man says as he exits the house as well. He and Naru shake hands and then the man slaps Naru's back and ruffles his hair. This man also has blonde hair, though he's balding. He's taller than Naru and a little older then Naru's mother.

"**Good to see you!"** The man calls to us. **"My name is Atticus Bram Davis and I'm Oliver's father."** He nods his head in his wife's direction. **"This is my wife, Darla Elwyn Davis."**

"**I still can't believe I have the honor of meeting **_**the**_** Atticus Davis,"** Yasu says with impeccable English. I can barely even make out his Japanese accent. **"I just finished reading your book **_**British Paranormal Investigation**_**."**

"**Good man,"** Atticus says as he takes Yasu's hand. He turns to Naru. **"Is this one of the assistants you've been writing to me about?"**

"**Yes, this one has a great amount of potential,"** Naru says. Darla finally releases Naru so that she can shake Yasu's hand as well and Naru takes the opportunity to sneak into the house.

"His dad has a stronger personality then I thought he would," I mumble to Masako as we walk to Naru's parents.

"Please Mai, don't tell me he makes you uncomfortable," Masako whispers back with a snicker.

I growl silently to myself and slow down so that I fall behind everyone else. _'Maybe they won't notice me…'_ The Davis's stay outside so that they can greet each of us as we enter though. I try to avoid direct eye contact as I make my way to them, the line in front of me quickly growing smaller, and then I notice a rustle in some bushes at the side of the house.

My head turns sharply as I catch sight of a lanky, red fox; its tail and paws covered in black fur.

"**You must be the other assistant Noll's been telling my about,"** Atticus says but I'm fixated on the fox. It's stopped walking midstride and has locked its gaze with mine.

"Mai-san, it's a pleasure to see you again," Darla says, then asks me, "is everything alright?" when I don't answer her.

"S-sorry," I say as I turn to her, breaking my connection with the fox. "There was a fox."

"**What was that?"** Atticus says to his wife.

"**She says there was a fox,"** Darla tells him and they look to where I was staring, but the fox is gone.

I bow to them embarrassed and then enter the house without giving them a handshake.

"Mai, it's been forever since I've seen you," I hear a familiar voice say as I enter the large greeting room. The room is covered in white walls decorated in gold trim and tan tiles. A large chandelier hangs from the ceiling.

I search for the source of the voice and find myself looking at a familiar face with blue eyes and blonde hair. "John-san! What are you doing here?"

I rush over to John. I haven't seen him in over a year.

"I came to England for religious study and decided to stop by the _institute_ after Madoka learned I was in the country and asked me to. I haven't left since," John says and he starts laughing.

"**It must be nice to reunite with old friends again,"** Atticus says to us as he and Darla come in, followed by Eldon and the old maid.

Monk's stomach growls and Ayako snickers before her own stomach growls.

"Guys, why don't I show you to the cafeteria?" John suggests. "That way Kazuya-san can have some time alone with his parents?"

"Why do you still call him 'Kazuya'" I ask as John starts showing us down a hall.

"Habit I guess," He laughs. We come to a door locked by a key pad. "The open area we were just in is more like a reception area. There actually is a receptionist down the other hall and that leads to a bunch of meeting rooms and seminar halls. If you go up the stairs there'll be a fork in the hallway. Turn left and you'll reach a door leading to the Davis's living courters. Turn right and it just leads to the third floor of where we're going now." He punches in a code and the door opens.

"Where _are_ we going?" Monk says as we follow John through the door.

"This side of the mansion is what the residents call _the institute_. It's a large academy filled with students of various ages who either have active or dormant psychic powers or who are interested in psychic and paranormal research. It's filled with test and research labs as well as classrooms and a large dormitory. It's really a great place for people who want to better harness their understanding of the field or who want to better understand their unique abilities."

After a brief five minute walk we enter into a large cafeteria filled with countless people. What appear to be teachers are sitting off to one side of the room and rows of tables filled with a variety of different age groups make up the students.

We walk through the dinner line and pickup a plate of food before making our way to a small table. My plate is covered in mashed potatoes, roast beef, peas, and thick slices of bread that are soggy from soaking in the warm gravy that covers everything. Awkwardly, I eat my food with my fork and knife. It isn't my first time using silverware but I feel like everyone in the cafeteria is staring at me and it makes me jittery.

"Do you know if the professor has decided anything more on that Kokoro girl?"Madoka says to John as we eat.

"Yes, apparently she'll be sent over in a month or so," John says.

"Kokoro?" Ayako says to them.

"Yes, it seems that Naru, Mai, and Lin-san came across an interesting little girl on one of their cases and she's been invited to live at the institute," Madoka explains.

"That's awesome," I say in between bites. "She can finally get away from that terrible orphanage."

We eat for a few more minutes and then continue the short tour. It's already eight and we only need to force ourselves to stay awake a few hours longer. Madoka and Lin head back to the front of the house to take care of business; there are a few personal offices in the _family_ side of the mansion where they work.

As the rest of us walk down the main hallway we pass by the _Society of Psychical Research Museum _which grabs Monk's and Ayako's attention. John offers to walk them through it while Masako, Yasu, and I choose to see what else lies down the hallway. Yasu then leaves us when we pass by the _Society of Psychical Research Library_ leaving me alone with Masako. She doesn't talk to me and basically ignores me as we start walking past a few class rooms. At the foot of some stairs we come across three teenage girls roughly the same age as us.

"**You must be the foreigners visiting from Japan with Oliver,"** one of the girls says. She's speaking English but I can't make out her accent. **"My name's Jolie."** All three of the girls are taller than us by several inches. Jolie is tanned, with long blond hair that falls to her elbows and deep, woody brown eyes that reminds me of the same life I felt while driving past the foliage on our way to the mansion.

"**My name's Kevine,"** another one of the girls say. This one is shorter than Jolie by two or three inches. Her complexion is pale and she's covered in freckles. Her hair falls in curly red tendrils that touch the tops of her shoulders and her eyes are a bright unworldly green. I can't place her accent either, but it is different than Jolie's.

The third girl is the tallest and seems to tower over us, though she's only a few inches taller than Jolie. Her skin is darker than I've ever seen and her eyes are also dark. Her hair falls evenly down her shoulders and frames her face gently but I can see an animalistic quality hidden in her eyes. **"Louise," **is all she says. Her accent is British.

"**Come now Louise, there's no reason for you to be so cold," **Jolie says with a wry smile.

"**You mentioned Oliver's name. Do the three of you know him well then?" **Masako asks and I'm happy that she has an accent. _It's not as bad as mine though…_

"**We've lived here for a few years," **Kevine says. **"Louise has been attending school here her whole life though, so she knows the twins better than anyone."**

"**Not that there's much to know,"** Louise says. **"Those two were always secretive. Well… Oliver was at least. I suppose we all knew Eugene pretty well."**

The girls giggle and blush to one another and I look around for Gene to see his reaction but he isn't showing himself.

"**I see,"** Masako says and I think she's treading lightly so that she doesn't come off as overly snobbish. **"We were heading for the experiment labs. I was hoping to see what kind of testing systems this facility has. Would you three care to show us?" **Then she turns to me and says, **"Mai would love to test some of the experiments out."**

I have a hard time making out the conversation; it's going by too quickly. "What?" I ask Masako but she doesn't answer.

"**Does she even understand English?"** Jolie asks Masako.

"**Just a little," **Masako says.

Jolie leans over to Kevine and whispers, **"This could be fun…"** before the three of them decide to show us to the labs. We head further up the stairs until we get to the next floor.

"**This is the only lab that stays open all day,"** Jolie says and she opens a door that leads into a room that looks like a gymnasium. **"This is where students test their PK abilities."**

"**And work out or exorcise," **Louise adds when she sees our expressions.

"**So what are your names?" **Kevine asks us.

"**I'm Masako Hara," **Masako says. **"And this is Mai Taniyama."**

"**And Mai's the one who want to try the experiment then?"** Jolie asks.

Masako nods her head so Jolie grabs my hand and drags me to an 'X' that's been put onto the floor using blue colored tape. Kevine goes to a machine that looks like a type of cannon and turns the power on.

"**This is a fight-or-flight style test used to see if dormant PK abilities can be activated. It fires a ball at you and your goal is to move the ball so that it doesn't hit you… without using your hands," **Jolie explains.

"What?" I say but Kevine pushes the start button and the machine begins to throw balls at me.

I duck and try to avoid being hit by the rubbery missiles as fast as I can but the machine doesn't let up and a few pelt me in the face, a couple get me in the chest, and one of them hits my leg by the time it's run out of ammo. Masako and the three girls are laughing themselves silly and I decide to leave the room.

"Where are you going Mai?" Masako asks as I leave.

"Bathroom," I mumble and then close the door behind me. _'Hopefully you enjoy your new friends…'_

I look for any sign of a bathroom but I don't find one so I walk back downstairs; I noticed a bathroom outside of the cafeteria.

Once I'm in the bathroom I study my face. It's red and scratchy from the imprints the balls made.

"Who are those girls, Gene?" I say while I look at my reflection some more.

"Well Jolie is from France and she can see into the future a little. Kevine is Irish and she has a power similar to Noll's in that she can see visions related to the things she touches. It's not as strong though, of course. And then Louise is English and she can create fire."

I suffer mild whiplash as I turn quickly to look at him. "Are you serious?"

"Well… Noll and I saw her do it once. She _did _actually create a fire, but she hasn't been able to do it since. She can cause things to heat up though. We just haven't figured out how to get her to recreate the spark that started the fire that one time."

"Wow…" I say, and then a sly smile spreads across my face. "What did those girls mean by _they all_ knew you pretty well?"

Gene's face grows red and he pretends to have a coughing fit. "Why don't I show you something to get your mind off of those bullies?"

I nod my head; anything to get away from Masako and those girls. I follow him out of the restroom and we walk back to the house entrance before walking up the stairs and turning right; heading towards the family's personal headquarters. There's a lock on the door but Eugene tells me the password and I'm able to open it.

"Where are you taking me?" I whisper to him as he leads me around a few corners, up another flight of stairs, and down a long hallway.

"This one," Gene says and he stops in front of a door.

Hesitantly, I open the door and enter the room. It's a bedroom. The walls are filled with abstract paintings, there's a guitar, a small desk and bookshelf, and of course a bed.

"This is my room," Gene says. "Well… _was_ my room."

"It looks completely untouched," I say as I walk further into the room.

"Not necessarily. Noll told our parents about my death as soon as he witnessed it. While he was traveling to Japan my mother came into my room and cleaned everything; it's something she does when she's anxious."

"How do you know she cleaned it then?"

"I came home as fast as possible and watched her. Then I traveled back to Japan to help Noll as best as I could."

I don't respond but instead stand by his window and look outside. I don't want him to get worked up; as a ghost, who knows what he would do when he lets his emotions get the best of him. He seems relieved though so I preoccupy my mind with the garden that makes up his parents' back yard.

"Now I have an even bigger surprise to show you," Gene says once a few minutes of silence goes by.

We leave his room, closing the door behind us, and walk to the next door down the hall.

"Is this Naru's room!" I say with a slight gasp as we walk inside.

"Yep," Gene says with a bright smile.

While Gene's room seems like that of an average teenager's, Naru's is filled to the brim with books. A whole wall has been converted into a giant bookcase with nothing but books on the paranormal and spiritual, ranging from studies to sci-fi novels. Naru's desk is twice the size of Gene's and also has books on top of it and is cluttered with papers and pens. His walls have posters of constellations, galaxies, and different kinds of world maps. There's even a telescope on the balcony that connects his room to Gene's.

"I just realized something," I say as I nervously sit on Naru's bed. "Naru's a nerd…"

Gene bursts with laughter. "More like a huge dork! He's a scary mad scientist, that one." I join in his laughter for several minutes. I scoot backwards on the bed, heading for the head frame, so that I can stretch out. There's _another_ book on Naru's bedside table so I pick it up and open it.

"**F-r-ankenstein; or, The Modern Pr-ometh-eu-s,"** I read aloud with slight difficulty. **"By Mary Shelley… I am by birth a Ge-ne-vese; and my family is one of the most disting-uished of that repub-l-ic."**

"You really have a hard time with English don't you?" Gene says to me.

"I'm tired… That's all…" I say.

"At least you can read fine. It's not a bad thing to have to sound your words out; especially words like **Prometheus **or **Genevese."**

"Ha, ha," I say bitterly and then decide to change the subject. "Why did you take away the mental link I had with Naru?"

"It's not my job to give you powers. It's my job to teach you and train you until you reach a level where I'm comfortable enough to leave Noll in your hands," Gene says.

"I understand that but we're talking about telepathy," I say. "That's not a power I have."

"Then it's not a power that you should harness."

"But you let Naru and I share the link for nearly two months…" I falter for a second. "_Is _it a power that I have?"

Gene doesn't answer me.

"Well how am I supposed to do it?" I say as I sit up on Naru's bed, my bare feet slipping a little on his black, silk comforter.

"I don't know, Mai. Noll and I never figured out how I connected us. I just knew that I could and so I did." Gene floats to one of Naru's walls and leans against it, folding his arms in front of his chest and frowning like his brother always does. "I can't hold your hand forever, Mai, but there's an entire library here if you want to try and figure it out yourself."

"Fine, I will then," I say. I hurry to Naru's bookcase and pull out a random book before taking it back to Naru's bed. I open the front cover and begin to skim over the first few pages. Eventually though, whether it's because I've been up since two in the morning or because the English is making me tired, I fall asleep.

"Don't worry, Mai-san," Darla says as she pulls Naru's comforter over me. "Noll's going to sleep in Gene's room tonight so you just get a goodnights rest…"

In the morning I find my bag sitting in Naru's room with me. I change quickly and then hurry downstairs so that I can find my friends. No one turns up as I search around the family part of the mansion so I decide to go to the cafeteria on my own.

For breakfast I'm provided a bowl filled with cereal practically drowning in milk as well as some toast and a banana. _'I miss my rice and fish…' _I notice the three girls from last night and avoid making eye contact with them as I sit at an empty table. Once I've finished my cereal and toast, Naru shows up.

"Mai…" he says, but before he can get another word out the three girls have hurried over to him.

"**Oliver, it's been forever,"** Jolie says noisily.

"**How have you been coping?"** Kevine says with a whine.

"**We've missed having you here,"** Louise says with a hint of seduction and I mentally yell at myself for the expression I'm making; I can't hide my emotions as well as Masako can.

Naru ignores them and walks closer to me. "We're having nothing but meetings and seminars today so you're excused from your duties for now. You don't have to participate if you don't want to."

"Excuse me?" I say as my emotions quickly turn from jealousy to anger. "Why do you assume that I don't want to participate?"

"**Because I know your English is limited,"** Naru says pointedly.

The three girls try to contain their giggles.

"**My Eng-l-ish is just fine!" **I say, but my thick accent causes the girls to laugh openly and loudly at me. I sit back down and stare at my unpeeled banana. Naru sighs heavily at the situation and then leaves without saying anything, letting the girls seize the opportunity to sit with me.

"**You have a think for Oliver, don't you?"** Louise says to me.

"**No one, and I mean no one, has been able to get romantic with Oliver," **Kevine says.

"**Eugene on the other hand…"** Jolie starts to say and the three of them pause for a second before she continues. **"Well… You'd probably have a chance with him."**

"**Don't get us wrong," **Kevine says quickly. **"He wasn't a player or anything…"**

"…**He just wasn't a robot like Oliver is. He was actually willing to date,"** Louise says.

"**I don't think anyone will ever understand what that nerd's problem is,"** Jolie says.

My hands are clenched tightly at me sides and my jaw is starting to hurt from the pressure I'm putting on it. I'm close to seething. _'How could they talk about Naru like that?'_

Gene looks like he's thinking the same thing. He gives me a look that tells me exactly what he wants so I nod to him and then relax my body. Gene will take care of them better than I can. Within half a second I'm floating out of my now limp body and watching Gene take full possession of it.

"**The only explanation of why Gene would have be interested in any of you is because you were probably lying about yourselves to him and hiding those deep dark secrets that are your dreadful personalities and unconstructive thoughts."** My body stands from the table, grabbing the last of my food, as Gene's flawless English rushes out of my mouth. **"And Noll isn't interested in anyone as lowly as you are, you insignificant harlots." **

After his release of verbal tension, Gene hurries my body out of the cafeteria and back up the stairs, to Naru's room.

"Stupid psychics…" I grumble as I eat my banana wow sitting on Naru's bed. "How can people like them have cool powers like foresight, psychometry, and the ability to start fires."

"That's called Psycho-Pyrokinesis or PK fire for short," Gene says as he mixes his knowledge into my rant."

"Yeah, whatever," I continue to mumble. "All I've got is the ability to dream out resolutions to our groups cases."

"That's pretty handy though. And you can also astral project _and_ you're becoming a pretty accommodated medium."

"I guess… I'd still be cooler if I _was_ telepathic. That'd show those girls…" Gene laughs at me as I stew in jealousy, then I notice the book I took from Naru's collection last night. With a new resolve I stand from his bed and scan through his books, pulling out anything and everything that had something to do with telepathy.

A good third of his large bookcase is pulled to the ground by the time I'm done searching through everything. _'This isn't enough…'_ I think before rushing out of Naru's room and back to the institute side of the house.

In ten minutes I've made my way to the SPR Library where Gene helps me locate the section on telepathy.

"It's weird being in a library that has _nothing_ but books on the paranormal," I say to Gene as I begin pulling books from the shelves and placing them inside of a basket the librarian gave me.

"**Who are you talking to?" **

I turn and see a young boy about twelve looking at me. "Oh… um… **mysel-f…"**

"**You're Mister Oliver's other assistant!"** The boy says. **"I saw you last night at dinner. My name's Carnig. What's yours?"**

"**Mai."**

"**Why aren't you at the seminar Miss Mai?" **

"**Oh… you know… just teaching mysel-f telepathy…"**

Carnig's eyes grow wide as I gather the hundred or more books I've collected, picking up the basket and waving goodbye to him.

"So you do _know _English… You're just bad at it," Gene says as I haul the large basket up the stairs.

"That's what I've been trying to tell everyone…" I say through gritted teeth. '_This basket weighs a ton.'_

Back in Naru's room, I dig through the drawers of his desk and pull out a few highlighters and sticky notes. I pick up a book from the pile of his books and start reading through it, highlighting anything significant about telepathy, and reverting to an English to Japanese dictionary that I grabbed.

"There are so many concepts and ideas here!" I say loudly as I finish the first book and start with the second. "How am I supposed to remember so much information?"

"You could write it down somewhere," Gene suggests.

"Like where? This isn't going to stick if I write it down on a notebook."

"Follow me." Gene floats out of the room and I skip a step or two to catch up to him. We walk through the family's living room and come to another hallway. "If we follow the hallway then we'll stay in the family portion of the mansion. If we use this door however…" he indicates a dark brown door at the beginning of the hallway, "…then we'll crossover into the seminar hall of the building."

"So?" I say confused.

"So, the meeting rooms here have large white boards that you can write stuff on."

"Oh! I get it!" I say and he gives me the password for the door so that we can cross over to the _seminar hall_. I enter the room closest to the door and knock. No one responds so I open the door and enter the meeting room. It's big, with a long table that can seat twenty people, and white boards covering all four walls. "This will work perfectly."

I take the next half hour to move all of the books and writing utensils to the meeting room and begin taking advantage of the right board to the left of the door.

**「****Tele meaning "distant" and Pathe or Patheia meaning "feeling", "perception", "passion", "affliction", and "experience"****」**

**「****Information from one person to another.****」**

**「****Scientific consensus: telepathy **** not a real phenomenon.****」**

**「****Telepathy lacks replicable results from well-controlled experiments.****」**

"This is going to be hard to do… isn't it?" I say after putting down the twelfth book I've read.

"Remember Mai… _Noll_ and I couldn't figure it out," Gene says.

"Right…" I say. I decide it's time to sleep so I start walking back to Naru's room. _'Apparently I've claimed it as my own.' _"How long has SPR even been around?"

"Since 1882."

"Wow… and your father is the head of it all?"

"No. Currently the president is Richard S. Broughton. My father is the president of a branching division meant to teach and study willing individuals. SPR's official location is back in London but my father's mansion is so large that he converted part of it into the institute and another part into a series of meeting halls for when large events take place."

"I guess I didn't realize how big this all is," I say as I stretch across Naru's bed and let sleep take over; it's been a long day of reading, highlighting, and translating.

The next day I stock up on food from the cafeteria and stay hauled up in the meeting room. I haven't seen my friends in a whole day but I guess they're interested in all of the seminars going on. Gene explained to me that an annual convention is taking place, where scientist and paranormal experts from around the world gather and brief everyone else on their discoveries and experiments.

Apparently Naru was offered a position on the register to report his findings but declined, not wanting to present in front of a large crowd. That's why Madoka showed up at the office in Japan; to bully him back to England to see his family and present to everyone since a lot of people were looking forward to his appearance.

"Whatever, they can just have fun without me," I say loudly as I pick up book thirteen and begin another long day of reading.

**「****Telepathy is similar to two concepts: delusions of thought (inserting and removal) and psychological symbiosis.****」**

**「****The insertion or removal of thought is a symptom of psychosis, particularly of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.****」**

**「****Delusions of thought insertion may be reduced by antipsychotic medication.****」**

**「****Empirical findings support the idea that people with schizo-typical personality disorder are likely to believe in telepathy.****」**

Soon night is back and I'm eating dinner, alone, in the cafeteria. The cafeteria is nearly completely empty because the students who are still at the institute are encouraged to attend the seminars. I finish the plate of fish and chips I'm served and then go back to Naru's room so that I can sleep. Another day without seeing my friends or talking to anybody but Gene… and the kitchen worker who served me.

"Naru!" I say as loudly as I can. It's dark and I can't see anything around me; surprisingly, I can make myself out perfectly in the blackness surrounding me. I scream Naru's name out as loud as I can, but he doesn't respond and he doesn't appear.

'_Where is he?'_ I think frantically as I search around for him; turning around again and again but still seeing nothing but black.

'_If I don't find him soon… if we never connect… I'll lose him forever…'_

I follow my previous routine the next morning, grabbing a bunch of food so that I don't have to eat lunch in the cafeteria, and then locking myself in the meeting room again. I write my dream on the white board. The board is covered in English but I write my dream in Japanese since it's personal.

Once I'm done I start on book thirty. The more I skim through the text the more I recognize English and the better I get at taking in the information without having to read through the whole book.

A little after lunch and there's a knock on the door. I open it and am greeted by the old woman who helped Eldon with our belongings.

"**Hello there dearie,"** she says to me and enters the room with a tray of tea and cookies. She sets the tray on the table and then stands straight, her hands folded in front of her over her apron. **"I wasn't sure if you were eating so I thought I'd bring you a snack. My name is Leala."**

"**My name is Mai,"** I say. _At least I can say that much fine._

"**I don't mean to pry, but Master Oliver's other guests have been questioning your whereabouts. Why don't you join them in the convention?"** Leala asks.

"**The convent-ion just seems borin-g, to be hone-st. I might be alone but I li-ke what I'm wor-king on,"** I say.

Leala starts chuckling gently. **"You sound just like Master Oliver. He thinks the constant chatter between scientists before and after the seminars is a complete bother. He'd rather be working too. No wonder you're one of his assistants."**

I smile as she tells me this. It's almost like she's complementing me. Maybe she is… I don't think Naru hires too many assistants.

"**Do you mind if I ask what you're working on?" **Leala says once she's stopped laughing.

I raise a finger to my lips and the end of my nose. **"It's a sec-ret. Don't tell th-em where I am okay? Or they'll just poke fun at me."**

Leala smiles and turns to leave, catching site of everything I've put on the first white board. She turns to me. **"I won't tell them."** She says with a wink and then leaves the room after I thank her for her understanding as well as the treat she's brought me.

I continue reading through my books.

**「****Latent Telepathy: transfer of information with an observable lag between transmission and receipt.****」**

**「****Retrocognitive, Precognitive, and Intuitive Telepathy: transfer of information about the past, future, or present state of an individual's mind.****」**

**「****Emotive Telepathy: transferring kinesthetic sensations through altered states.****」**

**「****Super-conscious Telepathy: tapping into the super-conscious to access the collective wisdom of the human species for knowledge.****」**

The fifty or so books I've read are filled with sticky notes. Only the library's books have been allowed to avoid the onslaught of Naru's highlighters. He's going to murder me when he sees what I've done to his property. I have to stay focused though, so I keep reading and highlighting; referring to my translation dictionary whenever necessary.

**「****The sender-receiver model has not yielded anything more than slightly above-chance results.****」**

**「****Despite irregular and non outstanding results, the sender-receiver model is still the most commonly assumed method of approach.****」**

After reading a particularly fantastical article I struggle to write what I've learned on the board; I've moved to the second white board. The article, though spontaneous and sloppy, holds an interesting ideal and I attempt to sum it up in one quote, deciding to stick to Japanese to make it easier on myself.

「Humans limit their capabilities to understand and perform telepathy because they misconstrue and limit their thoughts as _humans_ when they should broaden the way they think and craft a different concept and take on the power. How would an _extra terrestrial _use telepathy? 」

Once I've summed up the article as best as I can, I work on a few more; skimming through several more books.

**「****Intellectus: the processes of thinking while in the awake state. Includes the sense of emotional feeling, will, and decision-making.****」**

**「****Intuitos: anything that does not fit into **_**intellectus**_**, but which still influences persons.****」**

**「****Is considered that **_**intuitus**_** is greater than individuals, but that individuals have a kind of intuitive thought processing capability.****」**

**「****Probable that clairvoyance, intuition, and telepathy were all originally held within the same concept and not identified separately.****」**

Leala stops by for a few minutes around dinner, bringing me something warm to eat and then leaving again.

"What is it like for you when you link with Naru?" I ask as I take a break to eat my dinner.

"That isn't something you need to worry about," Gene says. "It's common for psychics to experience and _feel_ things differently so even though there's poor understanding of telepathy, I think it's safe to say that the same rule applies."

"What's that mean?" I say after swallowing a particularly large bite. I chug some milk as he answers.

"Basically… You've experienced the sensation of having your mind linked to Naru's once before. If you want to know what it's like then you need to focus on that time."

"That was almost three months ago!"

Gene doesn't answer so I finish eating and think about when I first connected to Naru. At the time, I was trapped in a cellar, surrounded by piles of dead bodies or skeletons. _All of my senses were completely blocked so why am I having trouble remembering anything passed what I learned when we finally escaped?_

Once I'm done eating, I decide to read a few more books. I've finally gone through half of the pile.

**「****Telepathy cannot exist without its thoughts and their direct transfer from one brain to another.****」**

**「****Thought: process of thinking; serious consideration; recollection; reasoning power; the power to imagine; something that is thought; the individual act or process of thinking; intention; plan; the intellectual product of organized views and principles of a period, place, group, or individual; characterized by careful reasoned thinking.****」**

**「****Mindful: inclined to be aware.****」**

**「****Mindless: inattentive, destitute of awareness, mind, or consciousness.****」**

**「****Can ****someone telepathically pick up someone else's mindless thoughts? Cards of symbols and color shapes to test for telepathy.****」**

**「**_**TELE**_**meaning across****」**

**「**_**EMPATHY**_**referring to "the capacity for participating in another's feelings or ideas as a result of becoming infused with them."****」**

**「****Direct transference of thought from one person to another without using the usual sensory channels of communication; A form of extrasensory perception (ESP).****」**

**「****The agent may think of a random order of five card symbols while the percipient tries to think of the order on which the agent is concentrating.****」**

"None of this is making sense," I moan as I finish writing the last of my current notes on the white board; the second board now completely filled.

"Why doesn't it make sense?" Gene says.

"All of these articles and books talk about the same thing; the concept of one person transmitting thoughts to another."

Gene looks at me befuddled. "Yeah… and?"

"When I was linked to Naru, it was so much more than that. Sure I'd pick up his 'meaningless' thoughts, they would always poor through the back of my mind like an endless drizzle, but we could send clear messages to each other too. And it wasn't like I had a power, it's like I had another sense. If I limited the capabilities of one of my senses, all the others would get stronger, including the part of me that was telepathic. We transmitted more than just thoughts. There were images; feelings. I've heard things coming through his ears. I bet I could have felt things through his fingertips."

"That's how it was with me too," Gene says. "But we never found a way to explain it."

I sigh out of frustration and decide to read one last pile of books; I can finish the rest tomorrow.

**「****Apparent ability to reproduce sketches made by others, even when separated by several miles.****」**

**「****Boredom leading to "decline effect" where the accuracy of card guessing would decrease over time for a given participant.****」**

**「****Attempt to send an image to a receiver during the detected dream states. Near the end of each REM period, the receiver would be awakened and asked to describe their dream during that period.****」**

**「****Still no satisfactory experimental protocol designed to distinguish telepathy from other forms of ESP, such as clairvoyance. ****」**

**「****There have been rare claims of shared visual hallucinations; shared psychotic disorder. ****」**

**「****The phenomena cannot be produced or reproduced on demand.****」**

I finally decide to go to Naru's room and sleep. My brain is racked with pain from everything I've been taking in.

Once sleep has taken over me, I find myself surrounded by black again. I can see his back though.

"Naru?"

I walk over to him calmly, my arm rising as I reach out to touch his back. A memory starts to come to me.

"… So then the woman went back to the public restroom with the police officer and, as he'd instructed, she went inside and waited to hear the 'voice' again."

'_I remember telling that story…'_ I think as the images of my friends' faces, illuminated eerily by the light of my pen-styled flashlight starts to fill my mind. I watch as they jump at the end of my story. I watch as they tell their own stories and we get to the end of our game.

After telling a story, the storyteller turns their light off. When all the stories are told, and all the lights are off, there's supposed to be an extra light. A spirit.

A spirit didn't turn up though so we did the second phase. We counted everyone in the room; there were only a few of us.

"One…" My friend Keiko says. She told her story first.

"Two…" I say.

"Three…" My other friend, Michiru, says.

"Four."

The three of us scream as the main light of the room turns on, revealing Naru; my first time ever meeting him, so long ago on a stormy night perfect for telling ghost stories.

The next morning, I decide to skip the cafeteria and head straight to the meeting room. Leala has been here, and she's left me a tray holding breakfast. Pancakes, toast, eggs, and bacon are definitely nice, and I appreciate her more than ever for bringing me such delicious food, but I still miss my Japanese meals. I miss my friends too. I haven't seen any of my friends in four days now.

Part of me wonders why none of them have attempted to look for me. The other part wonders why I haven't tried to find them.

After I finish eating, I take a look at my final stack of books and sigh heavily. _'It's time to finish what I've started.'_

**「****No "theory of telepathy," as various explanations have unbridgeable gaps to current science.****」**

**「****Scientific quantum theory as a basis for telepathy, the idea claiming that the mind is a naturally-formed physical scaffold for a matrix of electrical and quantum impulses.****」**

**「****Claim that telepathy is not "extrasensory", rather that the brain is a telepathic organ.****」**

With my mountain of books finally finished and three of the four white boards filled to the brim with notes and a couple dreams, I decide it's time to finally rest my mind. Without anything to read anymore, I'm not sure what else I should do. _'My head feels like it's going to explode.'_

I take the time to wonder down to the Davis's backyard so that I can explore the beautiful garden.

The initial view is breathtaking. A small field, filled with flowers, and a fountain in the center; the brim containing the water is big enough to sit on. There's a skinny stone walkway that leads from the doors to the fountain and also to various benches positioned under the many trees that surround the field.

I walk the path and find myself being led past the trees into a small forest that surrounds the garden. There are a few bushes intermingled among the tall trees and a bench to sit on and relax. I sit on it and fold my legs on top of the bench with me, closing my eyes as I begin to meditate.

Being able to clear my head is nice. Even though there's so much information currently being stored in it, I'm happy that I can release it, if only for a few minutes. As I rest I begin to feel warmer and calm. The inside of my eyelids slowly start to turn red as a strong light radiates through them. My eyes open once the light become too unbearable, and I'm left staring at a distorted form.

A red and orange blob of light floats before me, twisting and contorting as it replicates the body of a genderless human. Its appearance reminds me of the same _liquid-light_ quality that Lin's shiki have. The being lurches towards me for a second and I fall backwards, off the bench in shock.

My eyes close for a second when my body hits the ground, when I sit up I witness a fox dashing into the bushes; the spirit is gone.

It's dark now—I've been meditating longer than I thought—so I decide to go back to Naru's room. I could go to the cafeteria and eat, I bet everyone's there now anyway with the time of day it is, but I choose not. I've learned so much that I want to focus and try to find a foundation for my knowledge before I forget all of it.

'_I feel like I'm cramming for school…'_

While I sit on Naru's bed I notice a book I missed. It's one of the first books I pulled from his shelf and started looking at before my resolve was decided. I skim through it quickly, my eyes naturally selecting key words throughout the English text. By the time I've looked through all of it I decide to write one last thing on the white boards in the meeting room.

Once I get to the room, I grab a blue market and choose the last board, the fourth board, which is still untouched.

**「****Communication through means other than the senses, as by the exercise of an occult power.****」**

With that last thing written, I head back to the bedroom and take out a journal I've started for my own personal notes. I sit at Naru's desk and start writing about the spirit I saw after meditating, and soon I find myself falling asleep at the table.

My body starts to grow warm. The word "talk" resounds through my head like the heavy beating of a large drum. It's the same as when I first connected with Naru. My body is warm, my flesh feels like it's burning up; that sense where I'm so hot that I feel cold, or am I so cold that I feel hot?

_This is the feeling I have when I connect with Naru? _

As soon as the thoughts leave my head I'm pulled into another memory; a memory where Naru and I have fallen and were injured. He teases me with childish ventriloquism that makes me smile despite the situation we've gotten ourselves into.

"Naru?" I say. He's appeared before me after the memory flashes by. He's looking at me but I'm not here, I'm sitting on the chair, my top half of my body folded atop his desk.

"So this is where you've been hiding," Naru says as I watch him lift me up from the desk. He carries me to his bed and tucks me in between the mattress and his blankets before leaving the room to go to Gene's bedroom.

In the morning I climb out of bed and stretch up to the sky with all of my might.

'_Didn't I fall asleep at Naru's desk?'_ I think before my face turns red as I remember my dream.

I change quickly and then head back for my personal research-meeting room.

"You're _still_ not done researching?" Gene says once I grab another marker, ready to cover the rest of the fourth board. He doesn't try to hide the sound of shock in his voice.

"There's still one more thing that I need to take into consideration," I say.

"What's that?"

"The experience you gave me." I draw a crude picture of a person and write _Eugene_ underneath it. Then I draw another person and right _Naru_. I finish the drawing with an arrow pointing from Gene to Naru. "This is how it works for you two… well, worked… _You_ were the one who connected your minds."

Then I add me into the mix and draw an arrow going from Gene to me to Naru. Then I add another arrow from me to Naru. "You connected the link between me and Naru, but the connection never broke when you disconnected us. I can only assume it's because _I_ was keeping us connected until you showed me how to disconnect."

"It's a good theory…" Gene says.

"I know…" I say while my grip on the marker tightens. "It's just so frustrating! I know what needs to be done. I know it'll work. But aside of the confidence I have in myself I can't explain any of it logically!"

"Now you know how I felt," Gene says.

"That doesn't help you know," I mumble.

"What doesn't help?"

I turn and see Naru enter the room. He's followed by his father, a few men and a couple of women that I don't know, Monk, Ayako, John, Yasu, and Masako.

"So this is where you've been, Mai?" Monk says as the room quickly fills.

"What are you all doing here?" I say.

"My father wanted to meet you since you are my other assistant," Naru says. "You two weren't given a chance to talk." His eyes narrow and I know he knows that I never took the time to shake his father's hand and really introduce myself. I look away sheepishly.

"**I just want to see what makes her special enough to be your assistant,"** Atticus says. **"It's clear that the brilliance expressed by Lin and Yasuhara make them cutting edge material, but what does this girl posses? She hasn't even attended a single seminar…"**

"**She definitely isn't as intelligent as Lin or Yasuhara-san…"** Naru starts to say and I glare at him. **"…and she lets her emotions overrule her, but she **_**does**_** have strong psychic powers which more than make up for her faults."**

"**What is all of this writing?"** one of the women asks as the group scans the room.

"**I was t-rying to validate the existence of telepat-hy… I know that it exists but I was t-rying to find a way to p-rove it,"** I say tiredly. _My brain still feels full._

Naru rolls his eyes at me. "What's the point in wasting your energy with something like that? Obviously your work was pointless."

"It wasn't pointless…" I glare at Naru again but then smirk, _"…because I learned to do this."_

Satisfaction pats me on the back as I watch his eyes widen. He looks around the room for the first time and reads some of what I wrote. _'I underestimated her…'_ I hear him think to himself. His eyes focus on mine. _"Don't talk to me anymore and start learning my signals."_

'_I wonder what he means by _signals,' I think to myself as Naru turns to his dad.

"**There is no need to underestimate Mai. She fits the bill for a good assistant and will be allowed to work for me forever if she wants to,"** Naru says to his father before turning and leaving the room. _"I'll be in my office. I want tea,"_ he tells me with his mind before he's gone.

I sigh loudly, not hiding my frustration. Before Atticus can ask me what's wrong I say, **"Your son wants tea."**

I head out of the room, following behind Naru's wake; Gene saying, "I'll show you to the kitchen."

**AN: Yes, that is the first sentence from Frankenstein… only screwed up because of Mai's poor English skills. Did you know you can buy it on the kindle for $0.00!? Guess who owns Frankenstein now? Also, I figured it'd be okay to use because 1) it's just the first sentence, and 2) it was on the "preview" for the book on Amazon.**

**Fast Facts! #1) The original **_**SPR**_** or Society of Psychical Research is a real place! The term "telepathy" was coined in 1882 by Frederic W. H. Myers (a founder of SPR). Don't believe me? Look it up!**

**Fast Facts! #2) So… Richard S. Broughton **_**is **_**the current president, but only since 2011. The story should really be happening several years ago, but since I already gave Mai a smart phone I decided to just keep everything in the present. Technically, the SPR president during the **_**correct **_**time would be David Fontana, which, humorously enough, Naru's real last name, Davis, means "Son of David".**

**Not really facts Fast Facts! #3) All of the ****「」****of information come from five to six different websites containing reports about telepathy. No the information isn't set down word for word and yes one of the websites was Wiki. Who cares though? I'm just trying to write a good story! **‥（´口｀*）うわぁぁぁ～ん

**Fast Facts! #4) I had a hard time coming up with the name's for Naru's parents. I searched EVERYWHERE and couldn't find a source stating what their names might have been in the original series. I decided to use and kept my search to specifically (British) English names. Here's how I worked it out: **

**Eugene = Well Born**

**Oliver = Elf Army**

**Darla Elwyn = Dear, Loved one; Elf-friend **

**Atticus Bram = Father-like; Father of a Multitude**


	12. LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this and I'm not trying to sell any of it.**

**AN: SORRY ABOUT THE WAAAIIIITTT! Lol stuff like _life_ was happening, ya know :P 1st there's work, then there's my other _authentic_ novel that I'm trying to improve, and of course stuff like the 4th of July (Cuz I'm Amurican - see what I did there? lol). Anyway. I wanted to give a special thanx to Taj K for kicking me in the butt and getting me to finish this damn chapter! THANK-YOU again!**

**AN #2: Also, thanks to everyone who wrote to me about Mr/Mrs Davis real names. I don't feel the need to change them in this story because I've already explained why I chose them and such but if I ever write another Ghost Hunt fanfic I'll consider using Martin and Luella. Not sure though cause Atticus and Darls has started to grow on me! LOL!**

**AN #3: I'm just going to warn you and apologize now. The ending of this chapter is terrible. It just makes me feel depressed. You readers may not feel that way after you read it, but if you do, I'm sorry. **(´；д；`)ﾌﾞﾜｯ

CASE 9: LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

our own ambitions entail

I've been sitting in a dark and miserably cold room. It's not cold from lack of heat but because the walls and floor are made of stone, there aren't any windows, and it's located in a dungeon.

The dungeon isn't really a dungeon though. It's a room where my mother has locked me up to cry.

Then again, it isn't really a room either.

I've been left alone in a closet, but it feels like a dungeon to me…

But if it isn't really a dungeon then how am I to say that it actually is a closet? I never watched my mother put me here. I just know that she did. So what is it? Is it a space meant strictly for my soul to fester and starve and die?

I'm not alone in this closet that lacks emotions such as empathy or love. My friends are the rats and mice that scavenge around me, picking up crumbs left over from the small meals I have been fed. I think they're meals, but maybe the rats and mice are actually feeding on their dead brethren. I don't know because the lights are off and I can't see.

Who's to say the creatures that wriggle beside me are even rats and mice?

Spiders and bugs make their homes in my hair and clothes since I have the habit of sitting against the wall for hours on end, unmoving, and they aren't bothered by my presence. Within this bleak prison, where no lights shine, I feel that I might suffocate from the still and unchanging air; my mother has a tendency to shove socks along the cracks of the wooden door so that I don't know the difference between day and night.

'_But what if I have to pee?'_ I think as I sit here. I've thought this several times before. I have been in the closet for probably a month now. Maybe? Why do I contemplate the use of a facility such as a bathroom? I've never needed one before. I should stand up now and tell my mother that I need to use the restroom. I'm sure nature is calling and I'll feel the pain in my bladder any second.

I've never felt pain within my bladder; and I still don't.

Maybe I never bothered asking for such favors because the need hasn't arose and why of all things should I be worrying about that now?

Is it because I'm growing tired of staying in this closet/dungeon/bedroom? Life, when cooped up as mine is, can be quite bleak and frankly, I _am _growing tired of the constant sitting or standing. I'd never fought to get out of the closet before. I am in a closet aren't I? Maybe it would be easier if I just let myself die instead of trying to stay within the tiny room, like a shell placed on the sand; unmoving until picked up. Death could be the current that sweeps me away into a new world and life.

Perhaps I'm not in a closet at all.

Maybe I'm just blind.

That wouldn't explain why I can't move out of the closet though. What if I'm tied up? Surely my mother had decided to keep her blind child tied to a chair so that she wouldn't hurt herself.

I _am _a girl, aren't I?

'_I do keep in this same position day in and day out,'_ I think. My hypothesis is overruled by the fact that I stood just seconds ago, however, so I sit back down and think some more. There really should be a reason that I'm kept here. In the midst of the internal contemplation I hear voices. _'Those aren't papa or mama.'_

The voices startle me and I feel scared. What am I going to do? It's hard to make out what they're saying and I have to be sure that no one hurts my papa or mama. I grab the handle and do something that I'd never done before; I try to escape. The door rattles and shakes feverishly as I jump against it with all of my might. There has to be a way to break the door down. With a burst of supreme content and energy the door finally breaks free and flings open, causing the doors and windows nearby to open and crack respectively. I'm free now to stop the intruders.

That's what I should be doing right?

My lungs inflate quickly as I take a deep breath of air, waking up from a dream that's left my body cold and shivering. The air dries my eyes, which are opened wide as I stare at the ceiling, still trying to get a grip on reality. As my senses come back to me, my dilated pupils take in extra light from the sun's rays that are pouring into the room. I grab my face as a reaction from the pain and twist within the bed I've been sleeping in; the red sheets wrapping around me as I dig under the covers in hopes of avoiding the brightness. _Naru's going to want his tea._

I groan in annoyance as I half fall from Naru's bed and amble to my luggage, hoping to change quickly but stumbling on my way across the room. Luckily, Gene is off following someone else around and isn't here to mock me. Once I'm dressed I make a small note in my dream journal and then head to the dining room where I know Leala already has breakfast waiting for me.

Naru is still sitting at the table when I arrive, sipping tea and reading the newspaper in his usual manner. His presence tells me that I woke up early enough since I never bothered to check the clock. I nod to him as I take my seat and he flashes his eyes at me, his brow furrowing ever so slightly as a frown barely tugs at the tips of his lips. It's a signal I've come to know well by now. It's been a week since I've reawakened my telepathic powers and over the days that expression is the one he always gives me when he wants me to connect our minds. The difference it carries from the way he normally appears is in the intensity that his eyes present. No one else seems to notice it but I can't help feel that there's a desperate need he has to communicate with silence. He enjoys playing mind games with others and thinking up ploys that they would have no way of overhearing.

"_Can I help you?"_ I think to him briskly. My dream has put me in a foul mood but Naru isn't one to deal with my _overly exaggerated _emotions, as he calls it. _"Yes, I had the dream again. And nothing has changed."_ I answer his question before the thought finishes crossing his mind. It's the same question he's asked since I started having the dream five nights ago.

"**Good morning Noll and Mai,"** Atticus says as he enters the dining room, taking a seat next to his son and across from me at the table.

"**Mor-ning,"** I say back as Naru give an affirmative grunt.

Atticus chuckles at his son's behavior before putting down a folder he's carried with him. Inside the folder is an itinerary and he takes several minutes to study it while I quietly eat my breakfast and Naru reads his paper.

"_I'm going to need you for something important today," _Naru tells me silently.

"_What's that?"_

His eyes wander to his father's direction as Atticus clears his throat on cue. **"You two are being awfully quiet today."** Naru grunts and I smile sheepishly before Atticus continues. **"Looks like you're the last on our list, boy. Everyone is looking forward to your seminar."**

Naru rolls his eyes as I shove my face into the palm of my hand. _How could I forget that today was the last day of the seminars?_

"_Come along Mai, we have things to get done today,"_ Naru says to me without moving his lips. We stand from the table in unison and prepare to leave the dining room. I sneak one last bite of toast and give Dr. Davis a quick bow before turning away, but he stops me as I start to leave.

"**You and Noll act the same as when Gene was still alive. They had the tendency of doing things without speaking to each other as well,"** he says.

I pause for a second before deciding to give him a smile and then continue following Naru. I've been compared to Gene a handful of times since I've arrived in England. _I never wanted to be Naru's twin brother though; I just want to be myself._

The days that passed stringed by in the form of various events and activities. It had become obligatory for me to attend the seminars held within the Davis' mansion. Because my telepathy is now confirmed and it isn't a spontaneous power presented to me by Gene, Naru is doing everything he can to make me work properly for him; like I'm his most prized possession. I should feel happy about this, I currently work closer to him then even Lin, but I can't shake the feeling I'm nothing but a handy tool.

There are a few major conveniences to the circumstance, however, mainly the fact that I had the chance to learn a lot from watching various scientists and researchers discuss their studies, and that I can be near my friends again.

Today, Naru is relatively shut in. For the past week he dragged me to speaker after speaker so that I could take in as much as possible; now though, he's locked us in his office. While he stares blankly at his computer monitor, I contemplate the dream I had. A few psychics tried interpreting my dream for me when I first had it, but Naru and I have decided it isn't a dream but actually a vision. We can't determine what it connects to and we've debated about if I'm seeing into the future or watching something play out from the past.

After an hour or two of sitting around thinking about my vision I finally grow tired and start thinking of something else. Across the room, Naru is still contemplating quietly and there's an eerie silence from the lack of movement on his keyboard. He's been sitting like a statue, his back hunched forward as his elbows rest on the table, one of his hands supporting his chin.

I almost believe he's feeling stressed out but I've broken our connection so I'm not sure what he's thinking. My hands ache to touch him and caress his back, hoping to massage out anything that's eating at him on the inside. Working so close to him is starting to take its toll and I'm finding it harder to fight the mixed feelings I have for him.

I want to love him. He's smart, dedicated, loyal, and hidden under his mask of sarcasm there is a brief hint of niceness used for only special occasions. His personality may be difficult but now that I've seen more of his passions I've been able to appreciate him on a different level. From the time I've spent working alongside him, I've slowly come to the point that simply listening to the heat in his voice can send my heart spinning.

But I also want to hate him. I've dedicated plenty of my time to him and I'm afraid that after everything he may still just see me as a form of expediency. I may not be the best assistant in his book, there's still a few things that I need to work on apparently, but is that all I'll ever be? I'm trapped, chained to him by emotions and only working for him because our minds can link and my powers are relatively handy.

I have come a long way since I contemplated the idea of quitting my job as a ghost hunter, but the emotional ache I fear is still something that haunts me; now in more ways then one.

_Any moment now…_

I've noticed that when I start thinking like this, I have a higher chance of seeing the fox.

There's a knock at the door and Lin walks in, followed by Yasu.

"You're wanted in Hall D for preparations," Lin says as I stare at his feet. There's a fox emitting a light, red-orange glow standing beside him, unseen from the others.

The word "fox" falls out of my mouth as I exhale quickly and then stand. The fox jumps in shock and dashes out of the room with me on its heels. _"I'll be back in time for the seminar,"_ I tell Naru as I run farther from his office. The fox leads me down a few hallways and then down some stairs and I almost regret my initiative to follow it because of the looks I'm getting from people I have to push by in order to keep up.

Eventually, it jumps through a wall and I'm left alone. I look around, wondering if there's anything near me that I should take note of.

"**Hello Miss Mai,"** a voice says to me and I notice Carnig, the little boy I met when I first came to the mansion.

"**He-llo Ca-rnig-kun, what are you up to?"** I say as I walk closer to him.

"**I was looking for you, Miss Mai. Isn't Mister Oliver's seminar going to start soon? Why aren't you there watching it?" **

"**I'm heading there r-ight now." **I give Carnig a smile and then start walking back to the opposite side of the mansion; his small legs carrying him closely behind me. **"Why do you call Naru **_**mister**_** instead of **_**doctor?**_**" **I ask as the question crosses my mind.

"**Mister Oliver told me he prefers it that way. He told me himself," **Carnig says. **"He doesn't want to be considered a doctor until he finishes college."**

I never realized that Naru felt that way, but it makes sense. He is the kind who fights for his respect, someone who wants to earn it or else it doesn't mean anything to him. I ruffle Carnig's hair as we enter in the large meeting hall. Sixty rows of theatre chairs surround the front half of a stage, and in every chair there is a person. The walls are covered in red drapes and the high ceiling is lit up with yellow lights that emit a soft glow. There's a quiet murmur from the audience as they wait for Naru to make his appearance.

"**My class is sitting over there."** Carnig points off to a group of kids and then waves goodbye to me before he joins them. I look around the auditorium, hoping to find the tops of Monk's and Lin's heads amongst the group but the lights start to dim until everything is black.

Seconds drag by in the guise of minutes as the crowd's chatter quiets to an anticipating whisper. There's a loud _clack_ and a bright light turns on, pointing towards center stage. Two more _clacks_ and two other lights turn on so that the stage is glowing from the shine of light on finally polished hard wood.

Applause sounds when Naru walks into the middle of the light. He's so used to this sort of attention that the blinding beams don't cause him to squint. I can see his _need _through, written all over his face; the _need_ to communicate with me. He wants to know where I am.

"_I'm here,"_ I think.

"_Come to me,"_ he replies. One of his hands folds into his pocket as he slumps his weight to one leg and waits for me.

I walk quickly; aware that my presence becomes more and more noticeable to everyone the closer I get to the stage. The chatter grows the nearer I get to Naru and my arms start shaking slightly from nervousness as I hurry to his side.

"**So you're all here to see what the great Doctor Oliver Davis will show you next,"** Naru says loudly once I've reached him. His voice echoes throughout the hall and I feel my face burn as everyone stares at us. His free hand grabs hold of mine and the nervous feelings vanish instantly. I turn and look at him, his face serious as he stares back at the crowd.

"_Do you feel that?"_ he thinks to me and I'm suddenly aware of a swelling hot tension of energy moving within my gut.

"_Yes."_

"_That's a small amount of my PK. Move the feeling away from yourself and back to me the same way you would project your spirit from your body."_

I relax my self and start to droop onto Naru's arm, forcing him to hold me up as I separate the energy and push it back to him. The presence is gone for a moment but then returns greater than before.

"_Do it again,"_ he tells me so I go through the motion one more time, my body losing its strength even more. The feeling leaves, but returns shortly after, the heat burning me from the inside. I push it out and when it returns there's a humming in my ears, drowning out my thoughts. As I compel the feeling out again my spirit comes out with it and Naru is forced to lay me on the ground; his free hand is holding a ball of energy.

I watch from the ceiling as the outer energy of the ball whips around the inner energy. There are gasps from the people watching with wide wonder-filled eyes. Naru gives a man in the rafters a look and the three large spot lights _click_ off, leaving only the ghostly pale blue light emitted from the ball of energy. Like an outstretched phantom, the light passes across the room in circular waves, patches of shadow cutting away from it so that is can't cover everything it wants.

"**You've wanted the motivation to do some remodeling on this place for a while now, father. How's this?" **Naru says, making an uncharacteristic joke. He raises his hand, turns to face a wall away from the audience, and throws the ball of energy. It rockets to the wall and then bursts through it, ripping apart the wood and wallpaper until is shoots outside, tearing through some of the surrounding trees.

Everyone stands and claps excitedly, a few people even whistle despite the professionalism of the group. Naru ignores the praise and instead lifts up my body and carries me out of the hall.

With the confusion caused by everyone turning to different directions, or stopping in the middle of aisles to catch someone's attention or chat with their neighbors, Naru is able to escape from the auditorium without problem, going unnoticed out the backstage entry. I hover nearby as he brings me to his bedroom and fumbles with the doorknob due to the position he has me in.

"That was quite the spectacle," Gene says as he floats to my spirit. "I bet he did that in hopes of dissuading father from putting him on the roster again next year. Like that will ever happen." He and I chuckle while Naru lays me across his bed and then hurries out of the room, probably daunted by the idea of being trapped within the room's walls if someone finds him there.

"Better not go that way," Gene says eagerly as Naru walks into a group of people who are looking for him. "Oops, too bad he can't hear me." There's a wry smile on his face that makes me laugh even more.

"**Dr. Oliver Davis,** **that was quiet an impressive show you've put on," **a man says once he's taken notice of Naru. He brings out a small notebook from the inside pocket of his coat. **"Care to tell me how you managed a feat like that?"**

"**I suppose I'll leave that up to your imagination,"** Naru says coyly, walking past the man and his colleague.

"**A magician never reveals his secrets, am I right?"** the same man says.

Naru stops for a second and turns just enough to see the man over his shoulder. **"So you believe in magic then?"** Before the man can respond, Naru continues to walk away and then rounds another corner, purposefully hiding himself amongst a crowd of guests eating and chatting inside of a large room that's been set up for the end of seminars party.

"Hopefully neither of them had a camera," Gene mumbles to me as we follow Naru.

"**Oliver!"** A bulky man wearing a pinstriped suit calls to Naru from across the room. He parts the others as he walks up to Naru, the man's assistant trailing behind his wake. **"The man of the hour himself. I've been trying to find you."**

"**As I'm sure many are," **Naru says and I notice his eyes flash to the room's door, wondering if the reporter has heard the commotion.

"**The names Brent Randall and this is my associate Cork Cyrus,"** Brent says, ignoring Naru's comment and introducing himself. **"We're here because we've heard you are one of **_**the**_** best ghost hunters in the world. Taking your work to Japan even; the great Nippon! We've got work for you lad. That is, if you think you can handle it."**

"**I hardly doubt Noll will find your assignment difficult. He'd love the chance to help you. Hell, I'll let you borrow three of the institute's best students! Field work will be a great experience for them!"** Atticus has walked over and is now dominating the conversation. Naru rolls his eyes but doesn't fight against his father. _I wonder if this is Atticus' way of punishing Naru for putting a hole in the house?_

"**Sounds splendid," **Brent says. **"So who, may I ask, will be making up your research team then?"**

"**My students are Louise, Jolie, and Kevine," **Atticus says.

"**And who are you bringing to the table?" **Brent turns to Naru now, questioning him directly.

"**My main assistant, Lin, is currently busy working on a project given to him by my father. Yasuhara will be taking his place. Of course Mai will be joining us and I will be asking—"**

"**The monk, priest, and medium right? They'll be great assets to the team," **Brent interrupts and I see Naru's lips tighten in annoyance.

"**Miss Ayako can stay behind and explore the mansion more. She's been interested in some of the medical classes we have and Mai can stay behind as well, she hasn't done much accept office work since we've been here, and her skill at that is nowhere compared to Mr. Yasuhara," **Atticus says and Naru's frown deepens.

"**Fine."** He forces a handshake on Brent and then onto his father. **"I'll be excusing myself now. The show's left me feeling drained."** I don't follow him when he leaves the room, his father, Brent, and Cork gaping at him, speechless.

"Why wouldn't the professor want me to join Naru?" I say to Gene as we find ourselves back to my room.

"You heard him. You haven't really given father a chance to see your true ability and he can only believe so much that he's told. Mind you, I'm sure Noll hasn't done a lot to glorify your powers," Gene says to me.

I nod my head in understanding and then enter my still recuperating body.

Three days go by before my vessel finds the strength to wake up and until it does, my mind is left to wander and dream.

From the blackness that eats away at the light in my eyes, a red glow appears and grabs my attention. _The fox._ I follow it as it leads me along a corridor that runs up thirteen steps and then splits off into another hallway. Jolie, Kevine, and Louise come into view, their faces easily recognizable against the dimly lit space.

"Do either of you see him?" Louise asks as they walk past me, unaware of my presence.

"I haven't been able to see a thing," Kevine says and her voice seems saddened.

"Neither have I," Jolie says.

They brush past me and continue their way.

In a nearby room I find Yasu frantically typing despite the chatter around him. Cork and Brent are standing near him, talking with Monk in hushed tones.

"Have we found anything," Cork says and I hear his voice for the first time.

"The girls haven't come up with any clues," Monk answers.

"What about Mr. Yasuhara," Brent says.

Yasu pauses mid type and looks to them. "I haven't found any indication of what the house used to look like. There's no telling where he is."

Brent's mouth curls downward, pulling his saggy cheeks further down his face. "The professor won't like this at all."

"He can handle himself just find. He's been through a lot worse than this, I'm sure," Monk says.

John walks into the room then, looking tired; his eyes sunken with dark bags. "Sorry guys," he says in his thick, Australian accent, "I can't find any spirits to purify. It's hiding well enough."

The room washes away, like a wiper pulling away fallen rain from glass as the image changes back to black. My chest rises from a quick intake of breath and I awaken from my long slumber. There's a pounding in my head, the blood beating across my temples when I lean forward and attempt to stand from Naru's bed. With a large crash I fall to the floor, bringing his silk sheets with me to the ground. My body is sapped of energy and I feel dehydrated and starving, the urges to get food and water into my body overwhelming me to the point that I almost vomit.

My eyes are spinning as the room turns and twirls around. In a second, I collapse back onto the floor and lay there until Leala enters the room; apparently she's been checking on me during my respite.

"**Miss Mai,"** she says in a rush as she scurries to me. **"Are you alright?"**

"**I'm fine,"** I say, my words fumbling around each other. **"I'm just… tir-ed."**

Leala carries me to the nearest bathroom so that my body can reject the last of the sustenance it's been caring into the toilet. Afterwards I relieve myself and then she half carries me to the kitchen. She makes me a few eggs and toast while I collapse onto the ground and lean back onto a bare section of the kitchen's wall. Once I've taken in nutrients my mind settles and the surroundings become more concrete.

"Where's Naru?" I say, forgetting my English and leaving her to interpret what I've said.

"**Naru? Do you mean Noll?" **Leala says and her voice sounds despondent. She turns away from me quickly and then leaves the kitchen.

I want to chase her and find out what's wrong; the images from my three day long dream still etched into my mind. Where was Naru? Why hadn't Monk or John found him yet? The weight in my legs keeps me on the ground though, and I can't rise despite my attempts. My clarity is still redeveloping as I lay on the floor.

Within minutes, Leala is back with Atticus following behind her.

"**She was asking for Noll,"** Leala explains while Atticus lifts the top of my body off of the floor.

"**Probably because she has feelings for him,"** Atticus says despite the notice in Leala's voice.

"**Why haven't they found him yet?" **I force myself to say. **"I know he's gone missing."**

Atticus' eyes widen and I find my body diving into unconsciousness again.

During the next day and a half, Leala brings my body back to full health despite my exhausted state. After a dreamless night of rest, along with Leala's constant attempts to feed and water me, I'm finally brought to full strength. When I wake up again I find it easier to dress myself and head for the dining room where I find Atticus and Darla sitting worriedly at the large oak table.

"**Feeling better, Mai?"** Darla asks as I join them.

"**Brilliant,"** I say and then turn to Atticus, **"Will you please take me to Naru once we've finished eating?"**

They exchange glances before he answers, **"If you really want me to, then sure." **I nod my head and give him a determined look before digging into a plate of food handed to me by Leala.

Once I've eaten my fill, Atticus leads me to his car, Lin deciding to join us, and we begin our drive back into London. I sit in the back of the car as we make our way to the outskirts of the labyrinth-like city, neither Atticus nor Lin uttering a sound, both wrapped up in deep thought. I don't care though, I'm used to the silence, and all I want is to find Naru.

The car stops in front of a rundown Victorian house that sits separated from the neighboring buildings. In some areas, like the doors and windows, new installments have been made, in other areas, like the walls and roof, there's notable damage where age has taken its toll. Paint has chipped and started to peel off in spontaneous areas; as well tiles have fallen from the roof or have been covered in moss. Atticus and Lin exit the car and enter into the house but I stay behind to look at the building which has hidden Naru from the others.

"Gene," I say quietly so that my voice doesn't bring Atticus and Lin back outside.

"Yes Mai?" Gene prompts, appearing beside me.

"I want to explore the house more freely. Would you control me while I search for clues to Naru's whereabouts?"

Gene frowns. "Mai, you've been bedridden for four and a half days. Can you really afford to leave your body?"

"My body was worn down because of Naru's energy. The PK he used took its toll on me but I've healed now." I pause, hoping to hear a response but his silence drags more animosity out of me. "We need to find Naru, Gene. I need your help."

Gene doesn't answer; still worried about the effects my soul's departure might have on my body. I grit my teeth and clench my hands before storming inside of the house. _I'll find Naru with or without Gene's help. "NARU!"_

My telepathic powers are still week and despite how much I try I can't connect our minds because he isn't around for me to see. It seems that, for now, I need him present for the ability to work.

As I enter the house I hear voices chattering from a room down the nearest hallway so I head towards them.

"**What's she doing here?"** Jolie says snidely as I enter the small office room.

"**I'm her-e to do what none of you have been able to,"** I say, but my accent is still thick and heavy so my voice isn't as strong as I was hoping for.

"**What do you have planned, Mai?"** Yasu says. He, Masako, John, Monk, Lin, Brent and Cork and Atticus and his three students stare at me, waiting to see what I have planned.

"Masako, have you been able to sense anything?" I say. She solemnly shakes her head 'no'. I sigh and sit placidly on the floor of the room, preparing my body.

"**What is she doing?" **Cork asks Brent in a horse-like whisper.

"**She's removing her soul from her body,"** Monk says.

"**She can do that on command now?"** John asks.

"**She's going to see if she can find Naru by searching as a spirit," **Monk says, answering the silent question written of the faces of half the people in the room.

"**I wonder if a **_**guest**_** will take control while she's gone,"** Masako says.

I've exit my body fully and am standing beside it, watching as the members of SPR ask Masako what she meant.

"They're waiting for you now. Expecting you even," I say to Gene, who's viewing everything from outside of the room.

"When will the dead stop being relied on to solve the problems of the living?" Gene mumbles. "I've been trying to train you so that I _don't_ have to assist like this."

"You aren't assisting me. You're assisting them."

He sighs but complies with their wishes and enters my body. I watch as it stands and stares at them with a serious expression. Before any questions about who is possessing me can be asked, Monk, Yasu, and Masako utter out the name **"Eugene."**

"**Hara-san, if you could try sensing the presence of spirits again please. Kevine, I'll need you to find something that belongs to Noll and see if you can get any reading from it. Jolie begin meditating. The rest of you kindly fill me in on the situation," **Gene says but it's my voice that fills the room.

Masako leaves the area in a hurry, desperate to sense out Naru or the spirit possessing the house. Yasu immediately begins running over the details of the case with Monk jumping in on occasion. Lin and Gene listen intently while the others in the room stand flummox. John, Brent, and Cork are stunned by my possession. Louise, Kevine, and Jolie look distraught, not wanting to listen to me and also perplexed by the idea that Gene is the one handing out orders. Atticus stands stiff as a board, his face ghost white and weary. He isn't terrified by the presence of his son, but he doesn't seem to know how to handle the idea.

"After we entered the house there was a crazy amount of knocking sounds, and then all of the doors burst open and the windows, and just about anything made of glass, shattered," Monk says with an excited tone. Yasu's finished explaining the case initiative and they've arrived to the part where Naru disappeared.

Gene raises a hand to pause the story. He turns to the three girls. **"I believe I asked two of you to get to work. If neither of you are up for the job then Lin will kindly see you back to the institute. There's no room for amateurs here."**

"**And what about you? If you really are Eugene then why is she letting some spirit do all of her work for her?" **Jolie says spitefully. None of them like hearing my voice and body instruct them so abashedly.

"**As of now she's doing far more work than either of you,"** Gene says. I watch as my eyes narrow dangerously and their small party breaks apart to perform the tasks he asked of them.

I decide I need to get to work too so I leave the room and find Masako.

"Mai?" Masako says as my nearing presence chills her.

"What happened to him?" I say. She cranes her neck and tries to listen to my voice.

"I'm not entirely sure. It happened so fast. The woman, who asked Randall-san to investigate the house, was dragged across a hallway and thrown down a flight of stairs. We were all investigating the cause, trying to find the spirit or anything, and while we were sending her off in the ambulance he just went missing.

"Monk said something grabbed Naru and pulled him into a closet and that the door slammed shut. When he broke the door down Naru wasn't there." Masako's voice cracks and she crumbles to her knees. "It's like he's been spirited away. And I can't sense anything anymore. I don't know where he is."

"Masako, you need to calm down. Everything will be fine. Naru is strong. He can pull through this." I try to use a as soothing of a voice as I can and I rub my hand along her back, attempting to comfort her.

"It's been over three days, Mai!" she says and I can sense a hint of remorse. "I haven't been able to do anything. He's probably dehydrated and starving. Plus the idiot used his PK at the seminar so he was drained of energy to begin with." I watch as she starts sobbing, truly terrified about Naru's situation.

"You need to have faith Masako. He isn't dead," I say.

She sniffs loudly and looks at my hazy form. "Are you sure?"

I think for a second and meditate of the thought, asking my heart what the possibility of Naru's state really is. _If he was hurt, I'd know. He'd find a way to tell me or Gene._ "He's still alive." She nods her head and smiles weakly. "Why don't you go back to base and collect yourself. You can try again when you've cleared your head."

Masako stands up and wipes her eyes. "You've changed Mai. I can sense it."

"I just know that now isn't the time or place to be worrying. We need to find him and that's the only thing that matters."

She nods her head again and then leaves.

I try to raise my vibrations and sense more of the house. The walls start becoming transparent as my spirit elevates. Soon I can see all of the rooms but there's no sign of Naru or any spirits. Instead, I find a staircase the drops into black. I want to explore the darkness but the feeling in my gut tells me that if I were to go there then there's a chance I won't return.

I deliberate searching the house more thoroughly but ultimately decide against it. It's a no-brainer that Naru is contained in the darkness; the real question is how to get him back.

Gene leaves my body without resistance when I take back my control over it. He's been going over the notes that Yasu has come up with but there isn't much to work with so the group is still stumped. Neither Jolie nor Kevine were able to come up with anything and Masako is tired from trying to sense spirits for the last four days.

"Mai? Are you back?" Monk says when I look up. Apparently there's a drastic change in my demeanor when Gene possesses me.

"Yep, I'm here again," I say with a chipper voice. I need to lighten the mood for everyone if at all possible.

"**Did you learn anything?"** Lin says, focusing the conversation into English for the other members of our party.

"**I was view-ing the whol-e house and I noticed that there was a stair-case that l-eads into a void of bl-ack. I coul-dn't see anything past that,"** I say.

"**So the spirit has made a barrier. That explains why the girls can't sense anything,"** Atticus says. The group instantly starts discussing different ways to get past the barrier. I decide to find some water. Figuring there would be some in the SPR van that the group came here with I leave the room and head outside.

Outside, the tension is gone and the atmosphere is calm and sweet. The house seems out of place from its surrounding and it's hard to believe that such a spectacle could be taking place inside. The van is conveniently unlocked so I climb inside and search for a package of water bottles.

"How are you holding up?"

I spin in place quickly, bumping my head into the van's ceiling as I watch Lin clamber into the van with me. He takes a seat and I go back to grabbing a bottle from the far back side of the vehicle.

"I'm hanging in there I guess," I mumble.

"You seem pretty calm considering…" he says.

Once the bottle is in my hand I sit down on an empty chair, across from him. "I just don't feel like there's any reason to worry. Maybe the situation hasn't fully hit me yet but honestly, I think everything is fine. Naru's just pining for attention."

Lin laughs. "I hardly doubt he's _pining_ for any of this."

"No, probably not," I say with a wide smile.

Once we've settled down his voice gets serious again. "But really. Even if you aren't worried about Naru, are you feeling alright?" His eyes fall onto the bottle lying in my hands.

"I'm doing fine. This isn't for me anyways. I wouldn't mind a nap though…"

He stands, or crouches rather due to the low ceiling, then prepares to leave the van. "Then rest in here for a bit. You've already done more than any of us so keep your strength up the best way that you can."

"Lin," I say just as he exits the van. He stops again and peers at me from outside. "Could I borrow a shiki?"

His one visible eye widens, the other covered by his thick hair. He stares judgingly, trying to determine what the best response is. He knows now that I don't really plan on sleeping, but if he lends me a shiki then he would be encouraging my _reckless_ behavior; if he doesn't though, then I'll be reckless _and_ unprotected. There's the slightest hint of a nod and then he heads back for the house.

I lean back into my seat, happy to be away from the others, and let the tired ache my body feels take over me as I relax the best I can. It will be easier for me if I can dream but I have a hard time clearing my mind. It wasn't too long ago that I never wanted to use my powers again. But now I'm relying on them to get Naru back. If it wasn't for me, if I hadn't been here today, if I wasn't Naru's assistant then the outcome of this mission may have turned out very differently for him.

There's warmth in my gut that causes a similar feeling to Naru's PK. It starts off swirling in the pit of my stomach but then expands to my muscles and tendons, like metallic acid has filled my veins and is melting me from the inside. My hair feels like it may fall from my scalp and it hurts to close my eyes. When I open them, I'm standing in front of the black barrier. There's a fox in front of me and it's casting some kind of heat spell. The temperature in the room is sweltering and I look around, trying to find some kind of thermometer that can tell me how hot it really is. Then I remember my mission. There's no time to lose focus.

The fox's heat seems to weaken the barrier and as it takes a step forward, the obstacle breaks just a little.

"I understand!" I race forward and the fox dashes in front of me, leading the way through the darkness. There isn't any fire to light our path, just sweltering heat to part the barricade.

At the end of the room I find Naru. He's leaning again the wall, his legs crossed over one another and his hands grabbing his ankles as he meditates.

"Naru," I say but he doesn't hear me; he's never been very sensitive to spirits. I try to connect our minds but the barrier's effects are still present so I'm not successful. "At least now I know why you're doing okay. You've been conserving all of your power, huh?" I remember the bottle of water I've been holding and set it down beside him. "That's in case you get thirsty, okay?"

The heat begins to fade as the fox vanishes and I find myself trapped in the black. I whistle, hoping to summon a shiki. The noise causes Naru to stir, probably because of how piercing the sound is. Before he awakens liquid light comes splashing towards me and I barely make out the form of a large feline, different from the dragon-like shiki that had helped me before.

The liquid monster doesn't stop moving but instead rounds me and then shows me out. While I follow after it, I catch sight of a dim glow, eyes shining yellow, long, matted brown hair, and yellowing gray teeth.

Fear overtakes me and I shout out loud, waking myself up from the short nap I had in the van.

Maybe the nap wasn't _that _short. It's night now and the cool air has started to chill my still over-hot body. I stand and prepare to catch the bottle that's been sitting on me but it's gone. _Good, my plan was successful._

"**Mai? How are you feeling?" **Atticus says once I've entered the base.

"**Rel-ieved,"** I say. **"I know how to get past the barr-ier."**

"**How could you?"** Louise says as the others in the group wake up from their slumber. It's close to three in the morning so most of them have been sleeping. Atticus, Lin, and Yasu are still up and working though.

"**There's a fox that has been appearing before me and it showed me what to do. I need your help,"** I stare at her so she knows that I mean her specifically. **"I've hear-d you have the abil-ity to cr-eate and cont-rol fires. We will need you to burn the bar-rier down."**

A broad smile spreads over her face and I can tell she's been waiting for a moment like this for a long time. It isn't often that someone with Psycho-Pyrokinesis gets to showcase their abilities.

Once the group has collected themselves we head for the staircase I saw that leads to the black. At the foot of the steps Louise demonstrates her power to us. There's a small metal contraption attached to her right thumb and index finger that she pinches quickly to create a spark. In the moment that the glint exists, Louise grabs a hold of it with her hands. She doesn't touch it but does run her hands around the air around it, conditioning it to her energy before launching it towards the invisible shield that separates us from Naru.

The flames catch hold of the walls and Louise has to calm them before they can set the house afire.

I sit and meditate as she roams the downstairs hallway, easing away her blaze.

"Don't worry about it, Mai," Lin says. "My shiki have already pointed out his location thanks to their interactions with you earlier."

He, Monk, and Yasu scan the walls, looking for any weak support and then kick at it until rotten wood breaks and a section of the wall crashes down. I stand and we rush forward. Brent and Cork power on flashlights they've brought as we enter a dark and somewhat damp corridor.

"**It's cold in here,"** Kevine says.

"**W-w-we need to get out of here,"** Jolie suddenly says.

A high pitched scream sounds in front of Brent and his colleague, filled with anguish and thirst. Their lights die and we hear feet racing across the floor.

"**Are you there mama?"**

"**What was that?"** Cork cries out.

"**Mama…"** the voice coos musically.

"**Enough of this."** Louise clicks the device again and sends her flames across the room in a long flare, highlighting everything once concealed by the dark.

The voice starts screaming again and the room moans from the fire's excitement and spirit's remorse.

"**You're upsetting it,"** I say but Louise ignores me. There's a crash from another room and as our attention is caught a force slams into Louise from behind, sending her forward.

She growls in frustration and sends out her flames again, whipping the fire around her in a protective shield.

"**It's hot mama! It's hot mama!"** The voice cries.

"**Why can't we see it?" **Kevine yells, trying to be heard above the flame's roars and the spirits wails.

"**She doesn't want to be seen," **Masako says. Her voice is barely heard as she hides her mouth behind her kimono.

"**We need to find Naru, L-ouise! You aren't helping by pissing the spir-it off." **I hurry past her and further down the room. I'm slammed into a wall before I can turn into another room, catching a glimpse of Naru sitting silently against the room's wall.

I'm stuck against the wall, a force pinning me to it by my throat, holding me off of the ground. The others call to me and Louise fights back her urge to send fire in my direction, afraid that I'll be caught in the flames.

Monk starts his mantra but the words anger the spirit, causing it to tighten its grip. As life starts to drain away from me my own spirit begins to slip from my body, heightening my senses until I can make out the form in front of me.

A cruddy, greenish red girl is standing beside me. She looks like she's my age but there are vast differences. I'm almost looking at the form of a corpse.

Her lips are chapped and bloody. Her yellow and brown teeth are chipped and cracked. Crust spreads from her puffy green eyes. There are knots and tangles in her long, greasy hair and I think I've caught site of a spider crawling within it. She's stark naked and with a boney body; no fat covers her and her breasts don't appear to have developed.

I can't look further down because of the grip she has on me. As I feel myself about to slip out of consciousness, I look at Naru again, sitting undisturbed.

"**You're not going to take my friend away from me," **the girl says. **"He's the only gift my mama and papa ever gave to me. They never even named me but **_**that**_** boy is something from them to me."**

"**You're wr-ong. He's mine."** The air I had left leaves my body with those words but I continue to fight the urge to faint. Silently, I start reciting the nine cuts Ayako taught me. _"Rin… Pyou… Tou…"_

Her grip weakens as she watches me, shocked.

"Sha… Kai… Jin…" Air flies back into my lungs as her grip loosens. She stumbles away from me in fear of the words. I sneak another look at Naru, surprised to find him looking at me and standing up heavily. The fact that he's awake seems to drive more energy into my body. "Retsu! Zai! Zen!"

The girl flings back and curls onto the ground, rocking her body back and forth. **"Mama… Mama… Mama…" **Everyone gasps as she reveals her appearance to the rest of the room, Louise's fire burning briefly and providing light until Brent's and Cork's flashlights come back on.

Naru ambles over to me heavily, dragging his feet as if they were molded from lead.

"Are you o—" I start to say but he covers my mouth with his hand and gives me his _look._ _"Are you okay?"_

"_Yes… Thank-you for the water."_ He reaches out to the girl and strokes her back comfortingly.

"**How can you touch that thing?" **Jolie says.

"**It's not a thing. **_**She's**_** a baby,"** Naru says and the spirit starts shrinking as he lifts her up until he's holding the body of an infant.

"**What happened to her?"** Masako says as the group walks over to him and the girl. Kevine hesitantly reaches a hand out to touch the baby and then gasps as their skin comes in contact with one another.

"**I saw everything when she grabbed hold of me and pulled me down here," **Naru says. **"She's a stillborn. Her mother had her alone in the house and she came into the world with little life left. Not knowing what to do, her mother's mind racing with fear, stress, and anxiety, she locked her own child away inside of a box, deep within the foundation of the house."**

"**Is that why she was dragged down the stairs before you were?"** Brent asks, regarding the woman who hired him to investigate her house.

"**I can only assume so,"** Naru says.

"**Would you mind if I perform the exorcism?" **John asks. Naru gently puts the corpse like spirit into John's arms and the group steps backward, forming a circle to give him space. **"Forgive me for not wearing proper attire for this."** He chuckles and pulls out a vile, dripping some of the contents onto the child.

At first the infant squirms and wines, her hands and legs pawing and kicking the air awkwardly.

"**Don't worry child. You're going to God now,"** John says. **"Heavenly God, please allow us to worship you. Your soul becomes our heaven and the earth."**

The girl's skin slowly starts to fill with color and life.

"**In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word was God. The Word was with God in the beginning." **

Her scalp, now bald in her infant-stage, starts to sprout small, wispy fair hair.

"**Through Him, all things were made. Without Him, nothing was made. In Him was life."**

The babe cries now, but with life, not from fear.

"**And that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness."**

The further John get's in his verses, the more translucent the spirit becomes until it shines with a golden light, just like when I cleanse a soul.

"**The darkness did not overcome it."**

The spirit rises from John's arms and disappears from us.

With a heavy sigh, relieved to have retrieved Naru successfully, the group departs and heads for base.

With the case completed we load everything into the van and depart. I leave with Atticus and Lin in their car while the others cram into the other, larger vehicle. Before we leave, Naru decides to join us in our vehicle, not wanting to be fawned over by the worried girls in the van.

"**You didn't tell me your brother has been helping, Mai,"** Atticus says as we pull away from the house. Naru grunts, causing Atticus to turn his head to get a better view of the backseat, where Naru is sitting with me. Naru's eyes are closed; he's still exhausted.

I follow his lead and close my own eyes, leaning against the car's window.

"**And Mai, I'm sorry I underestimated you,"** Atticus says to me next.

I try to say something along the lines of **"its okay,"** but my body is still weak and a grunt seemingly slips past my lips as well.

We round a corner and there's a _thump_ on top of my lap as Naru's body, now completely out of control from its owners sleeping, falls across the car seat and his head comes to rest on me. I look down and find his black hair lying over my hand in an unkempt manner, different from how I usually see it. Even though he's been kept away from everyone for a handful of days, his dirty hair is still enough to excite me and I take the chance to run my fingers through it.

My face flushes until it's the color of strawberries when I realize Atticus is watching me from his rear-view mirror. I go back to closing my eyes and leaning against the window but I fight the urge to sleep. I want to remember the feeling of Naru's head in my lap, his hair rung around my fingers, and the feel of his hot breath coursing over my legs as he breathes heavily. The car ride will only be a short hour, and then this excitement will be cast away for work.

I shouldn't be crying now and I brush away a tear that tries to escape my eye. It may just be today, and it may only be this one moment, but I want to treasure the connection I'm sharing with him as much as possible. I don't want to regret the reality that will face me when it's over.

In too little time I find myself falling asleep as well, leaving me to feel that the experience was all a dream because when I awake, I'm laying on his bed.

Alone.

**AN: Okay! I'll try to not take as long to get the next chapter out! What are your thoughts about this chapter? Reviews and/or critiques please or I may start up another Naruto fanfic! LOL jk I wouldn't do that to you! **


	13. HIDDEN WITHIN THE MIND

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this and I'm not trying to sell any of it.**

**AN: I originally planned to make this a full case and just have the **_**personal**_** part be the beginning of the chapter. But it takes up SO much and there's extra stuff I have planned at the end anyway that I really didn't want the chapter dragging on and this bit would almost feel out of place since it is its own little conclusion of sorts. Does that make sense? So anyway… read on :D**

PERSONAL CASE 4: HIDDEN WITHIN THE MIND

_And I come to clasp_

_An understanding…_

Elaborate reds, oranges, and yellows are smeared across the bricks of a fifteen meter high wall that I stand before. This wall is set between me and Naru. I look up, craning my head as I take in the full height of the divider. _It's tall…_ I glance to my left and then my right, trying to find an end to the wall, but it seems to carry on forever.

"Naru!" I yell, but my voice bounces off the structure and I know it doesn't reach his ears. I hit the wall with my hand. "Naru—owe!" The bricks are hard of course, and my fist aches now that I've punched the wall. _My hand shouldn't hurt though, right? It's not like this is the _real_ world. I'm here as a spirit, trying to make a connection with his mind. How can my spirit feel pain from hitting a subjective wall?_

With that thought running through my mind, I hit the wall again. It doesn't hurt. The pain doesn't affect me anymore. I hit the wall again, and again, punching it over and over until I decide to kick it. It feels like the minutes dawdle by as I continue my barrage of attacks on the wall, but there isn't any affect from my assault.

"Naru!" I call out to him again despite my failed attempts to contact him last time.

I feel like my energy could be draining away from me but that's not possible. _Right?_ I take a step back and try to analyze the wall from another angle. If I _am_ a spirit, then walls shouldn't affect me. I should be able to cross through it with no problems.

"Your wall can't keep me out Naru! I'll just float through it!"

I inhale quickly, air rushing past my lips and into my lungs then back out again as I concentrate on this new idea. As I reach my hand out towards the wall, focused on passing through it, my hand seems to glide into it and then the wall fades away. Before I can squeal with glee or jump in victory of my accomplishment, I realize that the wall was the least of my worries.

Before me lays the length of a complex labyrinth, and somewhere behind the twists, turns, and dead-ends, is Naru. _B-but… How am I supposed to navigate my way through all of this?_ I may be able to maneuver through walls easily enough, but this is still a maze. Where would Naru be located? On the other side? In the dead center? But how far away is the other side of the maze? If I'm not centered where I am, then how am I supposed to know where the central location is; if that's where Naru's hiding? I could try floating straight, but what if I pass the middle mark… and if I do find the middle mark would I turn left or right?

My brain is wracking from all of this internal contemplation. I may be growing smarter, but these kinds of puzzles are not my forte.

"Gene!" Now I'm yelling out the name of my spirit guide, hoping that he can save the day once again. I know he expects me to pick up the slack now, but in this situation it shouldn't be difficult for him to understand why I need help.

"Yes Mai?" Gene asks. Thin, smoky clouds wisp towards me and stream along the base of the labyrinth's walls hauntingly as he connects to my mind and spirit.

"How am I supposed to reach him if he surrounds himself in this maze?" I ask desperately.

"Get through the maze, obviously," Gene says and I feel a hint of malice in his words. I didn't mean to annoy or anger him… I just want his help.

"Surely you could help me? I'm certain you've figured the maze out before," I say, hoping that he's in the mood to lend me a hand.

Gene smirks and I fight a blush; this isn't the time to take notice of his sudden _very_ Naru like appearance. "My time as your guide is almost up, Mai. Figure this out on your own."

"W-what? What do you mean your time as my guide is almost—," I start to say, stumbling over my words at first before he cuts me off.

"I've given you all of the necessary tools and materials for you to become a good replacement for me. Now it's your turn to take those acquisitions and build your own foundations. I will no longer be assisting you."

"What are you talking about? I still have a lot of things I need you to teach me," I say. This is not what I was expecting when I asked Gene for help.

"Like what? You astral project on your own now. Cleanse spirits. Navigate through and learn from your dreams. Contemplate situations. Recognize your intuition. And, you've reconnected your mental link with Noll. Personally, I wasn't sure if you could even manage that one. I didn't want to encourage you because I didn't know if you actually possessed the ability. We're so alike that I thought it might be true though…" Gene seems lost in thought and I feel like there's a slight trace of resentment on his face.

"Gene…" I say but his name barely escapes my lips, coming out like a whisper.

"Noll recognizes your potential as well. He's taken you under his wing. Keeping you near him at all times, hoping that you'll learn more by listening to and watching him. He's even introduced you to the PK technique that he and I used to do. I'm sure he's assessed that you have the same capabilities and potential that I had."

I don't mistake his expression as resentment anymore; I can see the bitterness clearly. His lips are curled upward at the ends but his eyes are cold and penetrating as he leers at me. _Please don't be mad at me…_ I'm afraid that he's growing angry because he's watching me fill in the space in Naru's heart that he used to occupy. _Isn't this what you wanted though; for Naru to be in the hands of someone similar to yourself?_

"Gene… I…" It's hard for me to say anything to him. I'm not used to his character being so cold and upfront. What's been changing? It can't possibly just be because I've grown stronger. Is it because we're at his home now? Is seeing his family causing this? He was hesitant about possessing me a few days ago but I assumed it was what he had said; he didn't want us to constantly rely on him. Maybe it was really because he had to interact with his father?

Gene starts to fade away before I can get another word out. "By the way, the maze I had to solve was much simpler than this one, seeing as how I had to figure it out when we were children," he adds and I can't tell if he's trying to lighten the mood with a joke or if he's mocking my situation.

With no other options ahead of me, I decide to step into the maze.

Entering into the first path is like turning on a radio. The quiet space of my mind is now humming with thousands of voices that echo against the walls. They're quite distracting. If I head down one corridor, I become attuned to the voices and assume that they mark the section I'm in, but then they change into another stream of sounds and I get confused. I need to drown the noise out so that they don't perplex me and make me second guess myself.

As I try to ignore the racket though, it just gets louder, and the words clearer.

"Perhaps… In this section, there aren't three floors, but four."

_What was that?_ I can here Naru's voice but he's saying something that I'm sure I've heard before.

"Ah! Sorry! I'll get set up right now!"

"It's all right Taniyama-san… The work's too heavy for a woman."

Words I've said in the past stream past my ears, quickly followed by Naru's retort and I begin to recognize the memories. These voice clips are from the Urado case.

"You're late. Make me some tea!"

"Naru, why is this maze filled with past conversations with me," I ignore the voice clip and start yelling of my own accord. "This is too difficult! I'm confused and don't know how to find you!"

"How many schools do you think practice Kokkuri-san in Japan?" The only thing from Naru's mouth that reaches me, are words that he said in the past.

I race forward, trying to ignore his voice as it cascades throughout the labyrinth; my own voice tucked in between his iterates. "Is this really what you want Naru?" I say. Maybe my words can reach him now that I'm within the maze. I can try to persuade him into showing me the correct pathway. "Do you really want me to get trapped in your mind?"

The way in front of me is closed off by a wall that slams into another wall. I stop quickly and look around; the bricks are launching themselves into each other until only one path is left open for me. Then the wall that is now blocking my path starts to move towards me, until it's shoving me down the corridor. In a minute I've reach the beginning of the maze and the wall is closing off its entrance as it quickens its pace while attempting to kick me out.

As it meets the rest of the outer wall, it stops suddenly, and I'm sent flying back into my own mind.

My body jumps as if it had been floating; causing the chair I'm sitting on to make a _clanking_ noise as I awaken from my meditation. Naru's efforts to kick me out of his head were so strong that my spirit was pushed back into consciousness.

"**That girl hasn't left this room in five days…"**

"**Isn't she his assistant or something?"**

"**She's that Japanese girl… The one who performed with him during the seminar…"**

There are whispers sounding around me but I ignore them. A small gathering of people are standing behind me, at the front of the room. I can feel their eyes staring at me, boring into my back. They're curious about why I haven't left Naru's side, but soon they disperse.

The room I'm sitting in is contained within a small infirmary hidden within the basement of the Davis' mansion, on the institution side. If it wasn't for the guests' growing disinterest in my presence around Naru, the young nurse who helps run the wing would have definitely run them out.

"No sign of waking, huh?" Monk says a few minutes later. He, Yasu, Lin, John, Madoka, Masako, and Ayako cram into the room with me.

"It's odd that he's stayed asleep like this," Madoka says and there's a hint of weariness in her voice.

It's been like this for the last several days. When Naru collapsed onto my lap on that car ride home, I thought he was just tired. That wasn't the case though. His body had used up all of its preserves. He was skinnier than before, and nearly completely dehydrated. Adding the strain of using his PK to the mix and the only reason Naru hadn't died was purely through willpower.

He isn't in a coma. There have been plenty of times when he's gotten up to use the restroom, to eat, or to throw up, but his body seems to be acting on impulse during those circumstances. He does the task laid before him in a hypnotized, brain-dead like fashion, and then goes back to sleep. That's why he's been kept in the infirmary.

"Any luck, Mai?" Masako says and I know she's talking about my attempts to contact Naru through telepathy because of the bile in her voice. I thought it would be beneficial if I informed the team of my reconnection with Naru's mind; Masako was expectantly put off by the news.

"Well, what's the trouble? Maybe we can help you," Yasu says.

"There's a huge maze inside of his head that he expects me to get through before I can talk with him," I say.

Many of them are shocked by the idea, but Lin considers the concept. "A mental defensive measure… It makes sense."

"Maybe you should try to find something in the maze that sticks out. That might be where you're supposed to head," Yasu wonders aloud.

"Take only left turns," Monk says jokingly.

"Don't lift your hand off of the wall," Ayako adds.

I smile at their attempts to help me, but the walls of the maze were too tall for me to notice any differences, and after the walls moved last time, I'm not sure I trust them to stay put when I go back for round two.

They stay with me for several minutes but I struggle to keep up with their weak conversations. Yasu, John, and Monk discuss the events that have transpired over that last few days. Many of Atticus' guests have returned home and there are already plans made to fix the room Naru put a hole in. Our own plane leaves in two days and there's a chance we may be leaving Naru behind when we return home. I'm not sure I can live with myself if I did that though. I'd fight until his parents decided to let me stay beside him.

Ayako and Masako are chatting about the stir Naru's current predicament has caused. His mother is almost bedridden as well, sick with grief and fear that she may lose the second of her two sons. Atticus is working more, distracting himself with studies and research papers. He's all but forgotten about the guests he should be attending to.

Even the Davis' maid and butler have become racked with distraught. Apparently, Naru's PK usage is something that he's easily been able to bounce back from. Though he may have been hospitalized after excessively using his power, he's never been in a near coma, let alone for such an extended amount of time.

It's hard to listen to their talks of leaving or distress, but my ears prick up when I catch Madoka whispering solemnly to Lin across the room. "He _will_ be okay, right?"

Lin's words are even quieter and I can't make them out, but I do catch him raise a hand and place it comfortingly atop Madoka's head. Before Madoka can break down, the presence of Naru in his current state being too much for her, Lin nods to me as way of self-pardon and then leads her out of the room and through the infirmary.

Soon the others follow his lead and head out of the room.

I turn back to Naru and take a second to look at his sleeping form. _There's no playing around this next time._ It's taken me four too many days to realize that the best way to wake him up is with our telepathic link and I refuse to let his mental barriers keep me away.

A sudden step on linoleum catches my attention. I look behind me and find the small, shy figure of Carnig. His soft, nearly white blonde hair curls past his eyes that are looking by me, to Naru. After a moment his nervous expression softens and he looks up to me. **"Sorry if I startled you."**

"**Oh, not at all Car-nig-kun. You just kind of appear-ed out of nowhere. Did you come to visit Naru too?"** I say.

"**Well… Yeah… I just wanted to see it for myself."** Carnig is strumming his foot along the floor, his hands behind his back as he inches his way over to me. **"Have you figured out how to wake him up yet?"**

"**I'm still tr-ying to think of something. He has some pr-etty intense mental bar-riers that I have to get passed,"** I say.

"**Maybe you should talk to him about Mister Eugene…" **I give Carnig an imploring look and he continues. **"It's just. They used to be really close so I'm sure mentioning him would at least get his attention."**

My eyes widen. _I know just the thing to say to him too!_

"**Oh, look at the time,"** Carnig says suddenly, taken notice of the clock hanging on the room's north wall. **"I've got to get to class. It's on the third floor today."**

"**The thir-d floor? Will you make it?" **I say.

"**I'll get there in no time at all Miss Mai," **Carnig says.

We smile at each other and I glance at the clock. If class starts on the hour then he only has five minutes to get from the basement to the third floor. I turn to tell him that there's no way he could make it in time, but he's already gone.

With the room vacant of noisy visitors, I decide to try again. This time, I take a seat closer than Naru and grab a hold of his hand, a blush rushing across my face and down my neck at my own boldness. _I shouldn't be embarrassed! The contact strengthens our link!_

I close my eyes and relax my mind until I find my way to his own; the soft fog that swirls around me soon coming to halt against the elaborate brick wall that surrounds him. I don't try to fight the brick wall this time, and instead, move through it easily. As I enter the labyrinth, I'm overwhelmed by the random iterates again. I'm prepared this time however.

"Gene's acting weird Naru," I say assertively, so that he recognizes the seriousness in my declaration.

The audio stops abruptly, like the dial to the radio has been pushed off.

"He's talking about his time being my guardian is almost over. And he was acting weird."

The bricks within the wall begin to shift and move again until I'm faced with one planned out path. Ahead of me, I don't see my own fog and am instead faced with Naru. He stands with his arms folded and his brows furrowed. I start rushing to him, but appear in front of him sooner than I thought.

"You made it through the maze," Naru says boorishly. "And it only took you five days."

_Is he making fun of me?_ "Well so-orry that you feel the need to barricade yourself in the most ridiculous of ways!"

"My methods are hardly ridiculous. They've been working just fine actually. If you couldn't tell," Naru says and I see a smirk on his face that causes me to start blushing again. "I suppose you're here to wake me up then?"

"D-don't you want to talk about Gene?" I ask, taken aback by his willingness to end his slumber.

"We don't have to be here to do that," Naru says and I feel my presence being pulled out of his mind again. When I awaken, back in my body, I notice that Naru is sitting up and looking at me. '_Why is she holding my hand?'_

'_Crap he probably thinks I'm being weird.' "It was just to strengthen our connection."_

"_Strengthen the connection? That's intriguing…" 'That must be why she's catching my own thoughts.'_

'_Oh no my thoughts are running through his mind again!'_

'_Of course they would, if she keeps them out in the open like that…'_

'_Maybe I should build a maze like Naru does…'_

'_Ha! She'd have more luck hiding them in that swirling fog."_

"_Swirling fog? You can see the mist that occupies my mind?"_

"_Yes. Your thoughts stick out like a sore thumb amongst—,"___Naru's thoughts stop instantly as he takes note of the thick wisps of cloud that I summon up to block my thoughts from view. _"Interesting."_

"_I can hear you Naru. Can you hear me?"_ I wait for him to respond and when he doesn't I smirk.

'_Why is she smirking like that?'_ I hear Naru think to himself.

"That was a great suggestion, Naru. It seems that you can't read my thoughts now that I've hidden them within the fog." He gawks at me and I smile, pleased with myself. When I try to listen into his thoughts again, his wall is back up. "So, your wall… is that the reason I was never able to hear a lot of your own thoughts back when Gene first connected us?"

"Yes, it is. I created it when Gene pointed out the same thing you just did. He had a way of keeping me from reading his mind when he linked us together and I found that to be a very irksome invasion of privacy."

"I see," I say.

"Speaking of Gene," Naru goes on. "You said that he's nearly finished with being your guardian?

"Well… he… he said that he has taught me everything necessary and that he isn't going to help me anymore," I say.

Naru mulls the comment over for a minute. "Then why is he still here?"

"I don't know. He was sort of being mean when he spoke with me too," I add. A part of me feels like a grade-schooler who has just tattled on one of her classmates.

"Maybe there's still something extra that he wants taken care of…" Naru says but I can't tell if he's just thinking out loud. He looks worried but doesn't continue the conversation.

"Why did you wait so long to wake up?" I wonder.

"I was biding my time to see how long it would take you to break through the barriers," Naru says astutely and I can tell he won't be explaining further. There's no need to for him to elaborate, though, I already know he was training me. Because of the experience I can now hide my own thoughts from him. I'll probably have to practice the technique however; I know he'll break through the fog if he really wanted to.

"We should probably head upstairs so that your mother and father don't have to worry about your wellbeing anymore."

He nods his head and we stand up.

It's then that I realize I never let go of his hand.

Quickly, I yank my hand away from his and fold my arms across my chest, my fingers clutching my sides as I march ahead of Naru. My head is buzzing from a hot flush and amusing thoughts that question why Naru never told me to stop holding his hand.

**AN: So as I said, I did have a case idea actually planned out so you should hopefully expect an update soon. Reviews will get it out faster though :)**


	14. HIDE AND SEEK

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this and I'm not trying to sell any of it.**

**AN: Damn you "rest of the world" I'm Amurican Darnit! I don't use the metric system! But Naru's English… which means _he_ does… In fact… Doesn't EVERYBODY in this story use the metric system? Idk… it hurts my head… I feel like I need to reread through my story AGAIN and change anything that's "imperial" into "metric". Somebody wanna just do it for me? Lol jk.**

**AN 2: I still don't know if this should actually be a case or a personal case**

**Edit: Changed it into a personal case**

PERSONAL CASE 5: HIDE AND SEEK

…_and grasp_

_That my mind is its own…_

Darla and Atticus fawn over Naru until lunch when he makes a brief mention that regards his need for food. Realizing that smothering him with affection isn't going to feed him, they decide to keep an arm's length away so that he can finally have some space.

"**It's a good thing you aren't leaving until the day after tomorrow,"** Atticus says while Naru munches on a sandwich brought to him by Eldon.

"**And whys that?"** I ask; answering in place of Naru since his mouth is full.

Atticus looks taken aback, but this isn't the first time I've spoken on Naru's behalf; he just doesn't know that we can read each other's minds.

"**Uh…"** he says, still not used to our behavior. **"Because Carnig really wants him to see his testing, and we're testing him tonight."**

"**His testin-g?"** This is my own question.

"**For his psychic ability,"** Naru says now that he's swallowed.

"**Oh, I suppose it woul-d make sense that he has some type of psychic abil-ity,"** I say.

"**Are you being silly again, Mai?"** Yasu says, entering into the dining room and messing up my hair the way Monk does.

"Sh-shut up!" I spout off in Japanese as Yasu takes a seat at the table, John coming in after him.

"**It's nice to see you awake and well Big Boss," **Yasu says to Naru before turning to me. **"The other's are in the cafeteria."**

"**It's not l-ike I was asking,"** I say coyly. Yasu smirks and begins to engage himself within the conversation. After I had reconnected the link I have with Naru, I accidentally mentioned to everyone that I felt lonely being away from all of them. Now they like to make it a habit of "checking up" on me. Really, they just tease me… I don't mind though; I think it's one of the ways they like to show that they care.

"**So who's this Carnig boy?"** Yasu asks but there's a mysterious smile on his lips.

"**He's a fan of Naru's. An ador-abl-e boy, who's about twelve years old,"** I say with a polished tone.

"**So you've met him then?" **Naru says to me.

"**A few times, yes. He came by the r-oom you were staying in to check on you short-ly befor-e you woke up. He disappear-ed quickly though. I took a second or two to look at the cl-ock and he had vanished,"** I say.

Naru turns to his father. **"So he's gotten better. It was just a meter that he could **_**jump**__**through**_** and twelve meters that he could **_**jump**__**across**_** the last time I watched him tested."**

"**That was years ago though. You're his idol, he's been trying to strengthen the length of his **_**jumps**_** in order to impress you,"** Atticus says.

"**Yes. Well. His ability alone impresses me,"** Naru says.

_Jump? _**"Is Car-nig-kun r-eal-ly athl-etic or something?"** I ask.

Yasu smirks and John looks at me with a sheepish grin; they both know already. _Was Yasu just teasing me when he asked who Carnig-kun was?_ Atticus coughs to hide a chuckle and Naru just rolls his eyes.

"**Don't mind the boys, dear. I can see how using the term 'jump' could cause your confusion. You see, it appears to be the best way to describe what exactly Carnig does,"** Darla explains.

"**You see, Mai-san,"** John begins to explain. **"Carnig's power is very rare. There aren't any cases that have been studied aside from his…"**

"**And it's imperative that we keep anyone from discovering his… **_**special**_** talent,"** Atticus continues.

"**What is it that he **_**does?"**_I say, growing annoyed that they won't quit beating around the bush.

"**Carnig can teleport,"** Naru finishes. I stare at him, wide-eyed as my mouth drops. It takes a few seconds before I remember to breathe.

"**And that's how he disappeared so quickl-y?"** I gasp. I think back to a few occasions and try to find clues. _Was it a coincidence that I found him in the 'T' section of the library? Maybe he was searching for books related to telepathy? And the day of Naru's seminar…_ I had chased the fox across the mansion, coming to the institution side of it. I never questioned why he was there. _Why wouldn't he be? But he did say that he was looking for me. Why would he know to look for me if he hadn't already been to the seminar hall to see that I wasn't there?_

"**Very **_**perceptive **_**of you, Mai,"** Naru says dully. My ears perk at his sarcastically snide remark.

"**Well sor-ry that I'm not a genius l-ike you,"** I say bitterly.

"**At least you're aware of what you're up against,"** Naru says with a smirk.

"**Why you—" **before I can say more, Darla cuts in.

"**Noll, please, she's our guest. Behave yourself."**

Naru gives me a dirty look. I know it's meant for his mother, not liking that she has just embarrassed him, but he isn't about to stare at her with _that _expression. I smirk back at him.

"**Apologize,"** Darla says, pushing the matter.

For a second, Naru's eyes squint as he gawks at her comment incredulously. He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes as he calms himself, and then he appears normal again. **"I'm sorry, Mai."**

My smirk grows at his dismay. **"You too, Mai-chan,"** Darla says and I chance a baffled look at her. She frowns at my hesitation so I quickly turn back to face Naru.

"**I'm sorry too…"** I say dejectedly and then Naru's smirk is back up. I decide it would be best to ignore him and continue the conversation. **"So why do you refer to Car-nig's power as **_**jumping?"**_

"**Rather than just being one place and then being at another, it seems he's limited to distances and obstacles. So, when Noll had participated in his testing the last time, he could **_**jump**_** across a room without much effort. He'd simply be at one side, and then appear at the other. With an object in front of him however, he would have to choose to either go through the object or go around the object.**

"**If he chose to go through the object, then the object could only be so thick before he would injure himself. It seems he dissolves and then coagulates as he goes through the object. On the other side, if he chooses to go around the barrier, he would appear off mark, or would have to do a second jump to get back on track," **Atticus explains but I still have a hard time understanding.

"**Let me help you Mai,"** Naru says with false affection as way of satisfying his mother with masked sarcasm. **"He can only go in one direction at a time. If he hits a wall that's thick enough, then he has a high chance of seriously hurting himself."**

"**Thank-you Naru-kun, it was so nice of you to explain that for me," **I say with a chipper smile and the biggest doe-eyes that I can manage. Naru glares as I bat my eyelashes and Yasu starts laughing gallingly.

Before Darla can make a comment on our behavior, Atticus throws out a suggestion, **"Why don't we go to **_**the vault**_** and watch a few of the recorded videos in preparation for tonight's testing?"**

We all agree to the idea and dismiss ourselves from the dining room; Darla hesitantly stays behind.

The vault is a large room filled with report and study archives hidden behind a bookcase within Atticus' personal office. _Classic. _On the far side of the room, past all of the bookshelves and stands, is a couch and a projector. _It's like they set it up for horror movie marathons…_ I giggle lightly at the thought of a young Naru and Gene sitting with Atticus, watching movies like _Onibaba, Kuroneko, _and _Parasite Eve_. _Then again, they probably wouldn't have watched Japanese movies… Dracula or Dawn of the Dead perhaps?_

Yasu, John, Naru and I sit on the couch while Atticus finds a flash-drive that contains the tests Carnig has performed. Once he's loaded up the files on a conveniently located laptop, he dims the lights and plays the tracks.

**「****Day 97: Test One: Floor Jump****」**

Carnig looks a year or so younger than he does now. He stands nervously in front of the camera, playing with the wispy bangs that hang in front of his eyes. A test conductor is standing on the other side of the room. He waves a blue flag and there's a _click_ from the conductor's stopwatch. Before I realize, Carnig is now across the room, standing next to the conductor.

**「****Test Two: Floor Jump****」**

They've moved the camera back and reveal that the room is larger than I had thought. The conductor waves his flag again and I notice a slight gap is Carnig's _jump_. For a fourth of a second, Carnig all but disappears from the screen.

**「****Test Three: Floor Jump****」**

The conductor takes a mere five steps back and requests that Carnig perform his _jump_ again. This time, Carnig isn't able to make it to the man and is five steps short. He does another _jump_ to finish off the final steps.

**「****Test One: Obstacle Jump****」**

The area that Carnig has to jump across has shrunk back again. In front of him, a wooden slab has been rolled out. He jumps through the slab with no problem.

**「****Test Two: Obstacle Jump****」**

Two more wooden slabs have been added to the obstacle. There still appears to be no problems for Carnig.

**「****Test Three: Obstacle Jump – Side Jump****」**

Five more slabs have now been added. When the conductor waves his flag, Carnig _jumps_ to the side of the slabs and then _jumps _to the conductor.

**「****Test Three: Obstacle Jump – Through Jump****」**

Carnig positions himself in front of the slabs. He's nervous again, but decides to try the _jump._ I watch him disappear from the screen, but when he reappears, there's an explosion on the final slab, the wood bursts outward, and Carnig crashes to the ground. The conductor rushes over to him, hurriedly followed by medics and Atticus who have all been watching off screen. The cameraman runs over to catch a shot of Carnig's injuries before he's carted off to the hospital ward. His back looks as though small chunks of flesh have ruptures; skin appearing torn and dislodged.

I gasp at his injuries before the testing ends and the screen goes black.

"And you willingly test people like this?" I say. I need to express my frustration out loud but I choose not to speak in English; I don't want to offend Atticus. _But Carnig couldn't have been older than ten in that video…_ Yasu and John give me half-hearted expressions, feeling mixed about their opinions on the matter. Atticus mentions something about heading to the testing facility early so the three of them leave the room. Naru stays sitting on the couch though, so I sit and wait for him.

"It's actually for reasons like that, that my mother wouldn't let Gene and me test," Naru says quietly and I feel that, on some level, he understands my concern. "Carnig wanted to test though. By that point, he understood the circumstances."

"How could you be so sure?" I say; my voice louder than I meant it to be.

Naru doesn't say anything about letting my feelings get the best of me. "I know because I was with Carnig when he first tested. He arrived at the _institute_ when he was seven and Gene and I were fourteen. He realized he had the power just half a year earlier and already understood the problems that having such a power could cause. My father had seen his _power_ earlier and convinced his unaware parents that transferring to the _institute_ would be a great, academic opportunity.

"When Carnig arrived, I couldn't believe his claims, so I requested to watch him. He was already taken with me, having overheard about my accomplishments from his soon-to-be peers. As soon as we met, I was put off by him because I recognized the annoying adoration he was sending my way. I gave him a lot of hassle to perform well or else he wouldn't be able to impress me; all the while Gene teased me for being rude, but I didn't care.

"Carnig was very driven by the idea of impressing me. He would leap a few meters, and then do another few meters. Then he mentioned how he had trouble _fazing_ through objects. My father thought it would be a great opportunity for him to give it a try with researchers watching. A single slab was faced in front of him, and when he _jumped_, the same thing happened that you just watched on the screen."

My breath catches at the thought of those injuries occurring on a seven-year-old. "What did you do?"

"I stood there and watched him cry, like I was some kind of idiot," Naru says and I can hear the venom in his voice so I don't berate him for being heartless. "He, of course, was sent to the hospital ward and in the middle of the night, I sneaked into his room to make sure he was okay. I felt that it was my fault for his injuries because of how hard I had pushed him.

"He was awake when I arrived, and he smiled at me when I walked into the room. The first thing he asked was if he had impressed me. I couldn't think of anything to say to him so I nodded my head and told him that with a power like his, he doesn't have to push himself in order to impress me but he said he wanted to train and get better. At seven, Carnig had resolved to become stronger and more adept with his ability." Naru pauses and looks at me shrewdly. "That's why I don't look down on my father for testing him and that's why Carnig has a lot of respect in my eyes."

I nod my head but then blush when Naru's next words catch me off guard.

"It's one of the reasons that I respect you too, Mai." I gape at him, my eyes pleading for an explanation but the look frustrates him. "I'm not spelling it out for you." He stands up and ushers me out of the vault so that he can lock it.

On our way to the training facility, we're chased down by Jolie.

"**Oliver!"** She says frantically and we turn in time to see her come to a halt before us. Naru doesn't say anything, choosing to stand and wait for her to catch her breath so she can continue. **"A strange man is going to come to the **_**institute.**_** I don't know what he looks like or what his intent is, but I know it's not good…"**

Naru's brow furrows as he contemplates what she has told him. He places a hand on her shoulder and studies her. I open my mind and close my eyes so that our psyches can merge with ease. He scans through her for a recent vision, but it's hard for him to watch something that has already passed. We're able to see glimpses of a man—face hidden by a bandana, wearing gloves and a long coat—enter in the security code that separates the main hall from the school. He starts wandering into the library before the vision fades.

"**Go find my father and tell him the same thing," **Naru says, adding **"He's in the seventh facility,"** before Jolie can ask any questions.

Jolie doesn't question him and takes off down the hall again. Naru changes direction, originally heading to where Jolie is going, and reroutes himself to the same door we saw in the vision. I follow wordlessly.

At the door, Naru reaches out and touches the handle while I connect our minds again, right in time to catch another vision.

This time, there's a second, and then a third man—both of which are hiding their faces—that enter through the door. They appear to guard the entrance to the library when the first man walks inside. Then the vision becomes hazy and drops.

"Why aren't you able to pick up much?" I say as Naru turns away from the door.

"With all of the psychic students in the institute, there's a lot of interference with the visions related to that side of the mansion," Naru explains.

"Even with someone as talented as you?" I ask

"Even with someone as talented as me," he retorts.

After several minutes go by, we come to the seventh facility.

"**We're you able to find anything Noll?" **Atticus says. Naru explains the visions and Atticus summons two men over to his side; fellow test conductors who he asks to watch the door to the _institution._ The men agree to the task at hand and head out of the room.

"**I wonder what those men in your vision are after," **John says once the activity has died down. Atticus has already examined the training room to make sure everything is in order, and we've headed towards the cafeteria where the others are still sitting.

"**Well, hopefully the men you've asked to guard that door won't have any trouble when they show up," **Monk says after we've filled them in on everything.

"**That's if they haven't already come by, or if they even come today,"** Ayako says.

It's been nearly two hours since Naru and I shared the vision; our group has been chatting in the cafeteria the whole while. I take a sip of my tea and then watch the tanned water ripple within my cup. I can't shake the feeling that something isn't right. _Maybe I should tell Naru… But I don't want to worry everyone for no reason._ The urge to place my hand onto Naru's hand is strong, but the act isn't necessary so I restrain myself and open up my mind to his. _"I have a bad feeling about the vision."_

Naru glances at me from the corner of his eye for a brief moment before going back to the notes he has laid out in front of him; he's studying some of Carnig's past tests. _"When do you feel that the men will break into the _institution?" Naru's thoughts say to me.

I think for a moment. _"I think they already have." _His brow furrows and he thinks for a second before standing up.

"What's up, Naru?" Monk says, unknowingly asking my question for me.

Naru turns away from us and starts heading out of the cafeteria. I leap to my feet and hurry to catch up with him while the others hesitantly start to stand from the table as well. "Maybe it's time for Carnig's training?" I hear Yasu say.

"_Naru?"_ I question.

"_Why wouldn't the men have stopped the intruders?" _Naru thinks.

"_Maybe the intruders were able to subdue them?"_ I guess.

"_We would have heard something about it…"_

"_Do you mean?"_

"_Yes." _Naru has led me to the door from before. It's been left wide open, for anyone to have access to the students and their school. _"The men my father told to guard the door were the same people that we saw in the vision."_ He turns away from the door now that his theory has fallen more in place, and starts heading to the training facility where he knows Atticus is waiting for Carnig.

"_But there were three of them,"_ I argue, trying to make sense of everything. I can hear Ayako complaining about us not telling them what's going on, her voice being drowned out by the distance we're creating from walking so fast. Naru's so caught up in what he has just discovered that he's almost running.

"_Which means that they've had this planned out. I'm sure that us finding out ahead of time and then having my father tell them to watch the door was just a happy coincidence. I'm such an idiot."_ He's angrier than I've ever seen him so I don't respond and just let him keep showing me to the training room.

"**Oliver, is there something wrong? You seem out of breath,"** Atticus says as we rush into the room.

"**Those men you told to guard the door were the same men I saw breaking in," **Naru says.

Atticus' face drops. **"Where's Carnig?"**

"**What?"** Naru and I both say together.

"**Carnig always gets to these tests early. I thought that he might not be here yet because he was spending time with you,"** the professor says.

Naru clenches his jaw and growls as he races out of the room again. I'm still stunned by what's going on and take off after him, keeping up with his pace as best as I can. Our ghost hunting team enters the room as we leave, looking questioningly at each other and then turning to Atticus for an explanation.

Naru is quick on his feet and I have trouble staying beside him as we head deeper into the institute, sprinting up a flight of stairs and then down a long corridor. His black dress shoes slide across the slick floor as he comes to an unnecessarily graceful stop in front of door. He doesn't bother knocking and instead turns the door knob, using his PK to break the lock and force the door open.

"Naru! You shouldn't be using your power," I say as he forces his way into the room; which is a small dorm for one.

"Desperate times Mai," Naru says bitterly. He scours the room, searching for something. The space is rather dull, with bare walls and a plain, white bedspread. The only interesting item is a small frame sitting on the side table, with a picture of Carnig, Naru, Gene, Attics, and Darla. _So this is Carnig's room…_ I hear Naru stop picking around the room. "This will work. Link our minds, Mai." I follow his instructions and watch the vision unfold before me as he clutches onto one of Carnig's belongings.

In the library, Carnig is sitting at a table, skimming through the pages of a thick book. Four or so other books are piled up next to him. He looks up and watches the first man walk over to him. He isn't suspicious despite the man's covered face.

"**Carnig,"** the man says, pulling away the bandana that he has tied around his face. **"I've come to collect you."**

"**Why's that?" **Carnig say, his voice filled with confusion.

"**Oliver Davis and his Japanese companions plan on watching your testing today. We're going to bring you to an offsite training facility since the one you generally practice in isn't big enough for them, the conductors, and the medical team,"** the man explains and I admit to myself that even I would be convinced of his reasoning.

"**Mister Oliver is going to watch me?" **Carnig says; his mouth wide as he smiles eagerly. The other man nods his head and escorts him out of the room. **"Why are you wearing that bandana around your face?"**

They've exited the library and are now being lead by the two men who were ordered to watch the door, both of which are now wearing bandanas in a similar fashion.

"**We'll be recognized as members of SPR in the public and we don't want to draw any attention to our group since there'll be a lot of us entering the other facility," **one of the two men explains. Carnig is unfortunately naïve enough to believe him and the four of them walk over to a small car that lacks any identifiable characteristics.

The vision clips to a scene that shows the two _guards_ showing Carnig into an abandoned meat factory. A sign outside of the front door has a picture of a lamb on it with smeared paint making the company title unreadable. Once they're inside of the building, Carnig finally becomes aware of the situation but the men grab his arms before he can dash away.

"**We know you can't **_**jump**_** when you're already moving, Carnig,"** the main man says. **"We've been studying you for a while you know."**

"**Why are you doing this?" **Carnig says.

"**There's a man **_**very**_** interested in seeing your power first hand. He has a high price set for you once we prove to him that you can really teleport,"** one of the goons says, gushing over the thought of his coming riches as they force Carnig further into the factory, leading him down a cold, cement staircase.

"**Like I'll show him," **Carnig says.

The men laugh as they drag him down a hallway that sits away from the factory, and under the earth itself.

"**Do you think we don't know you?" **There's a rusty noise as metal scrapes the cement floor and a thick door is opened, leading into a cooler.

"**You'll try to escape as soon as you get the chance!"** Carnig is tossed into the cooler and the door is slammed shut.

"**But if you **_**jump**_** through the door you'll be forced to stop and **_**jump**_** again, giving us time to catch you."**

Carnig bites the inside of his cheek and stares angrily at the cooler door. Tears almost begin to well at his eyes and I can't tell if it's because he's scared or because he's biting himself so hard. As if answering my question, despite the fact that these events have already transpired, he spits out a bead of blood.

Minutes drag by in the vision and Carnig eventually ends up sitting on the far side of the cooler. After another moment, the voices pick back up. **"Is the boy in here?"**

"**Yes. Are you ready to meet him?"**

"**Don't beat around the bush now! Open the door up!"**

There's a booming of laughter that drowns out the rusty _screech_ of the door reopening. Carnig stands and stares down the men as they enter into the room. They keep their distance so that the new man can admire him at a distance. The purchaser's appearance is cast in shadow and the only noticeable detail that I can take in is his wide girth.

Carnig looks defeated as the man enters into the cooler, but then a resolve comes across him.

"**I'm not going to get out of this, am I?"** he says.

The big man doesn't reply, and even though I can't see his face I know he's smiling down on the young boy.

"**I won't let you have me…"** Carnig says. He looks up at the ceiling of his prison and then vanishes.

The vision fades and Naru and I find ourselves back in Carnig's room.

Naru sighs and places the object back where he found it; whatever urgency he had is gone now.

"Why are you lollygagging? We need to get to that factory and help Carnig!" I say as Naru slowly stands from the slouch he's been in.

"There's no point anymore, Mai," Naru says.

"What are you talking about? You saw him teleport just like I did," I argue. "We have to go." Naru doesn't make any attempt to leave Carnig's room. _Can't he see that Carnig is in trouble? Why doesn't he care to help? We have to get there as fast as possible! _"We have to go _now _Naru!" I yell loudly. I'm surprised if the occupants of the neighboring rooms didn't hear me.

Naru's eyes soften as he looks at me. "Okay."

He only picks up his pace when I bypass him in the hallway.

Once we have reached the ground floor, he ushers me to a parking lot and nods to a car. I hesitate for a second. _Is Naru going to drive?_ When he enters the driver's seat I comply with his suggestion and hop into the passenger's seat.

"N-Naru?" I say as he reverses the car and heads out of the garage, driving away from the mansion.

"Don't be surprised, Mai," he says nonchalantly. "Why wouldn't I know how to drive in the country I was raised it?"

"Well… I…" I start to say but then stop myself from going on. There really isn't a reason I should be questioning him.

It seems that Naru's already familiar with the location of the rundown meat house and he drives the car across an abandoned road for twenty minutes before we arrive to the building.

I jump out of the car and race to the front doors, Naru fumbling out of the driver's seat and chasing me down. "Mai!"

I open the door and enter the factory. "Carnig!" But there's no sound. The men are gone. Their cars are gone. Carnig is gone. "Where is he?"

"Departed Mai," Neru says.

"What do you mean?" I say and my voice cracks.

Naru sighs audibly and grabs my hand, dragging me back out of the building. He pulls me around the structure onto a patch of grass. "Here."

"Here?" I say.

"Carnig is right here," Naru says and his voice is soft.

"What are you trying to tell me?" I ask and I feel my voice crack again.

"When he _jumped_, he _jumped_ up," Naru explained. "Going through the ceiling of that cooler, and crashing into the earth above."

"C-c-couldn't he have just… _jumped_ past the earth?" I stutter as I try to fight the realization.

"Do you remember the video we watched? The wounds afflicted onto his back when he tried leaping through the thick slabs of wood?" Naru says.

"Y-y-yes…"

"My father had mentioned his ability to dissolve and then coagulate…" Naru is attempting to explain the situation but I don't want to hear anymore.

I fall to the ground mumbling for him to stop talking. To stop telling me the things I don't want to hear.

He kneels beside me and rests a hand on my back. "Carnig received those wounds because his back couldn't properly form together when he _jumped_ through the barrier. This time… none of him came back together."

I break finally and fall into his chest, crying hard. _If only I had spoken sooner, when I first thought that something was wrong. If only I could have put the pieces together, then that little boy might still be alive._

"_It wasn't your fault,"_ I hear Naru say and I realize I never fully broke the link between us. I can hear the remorse in his words though. He saw the vision too, and he's trying to convince himself of the same thing.

We sit like that for I don't know how long, until Naru's cell phone rings and brings us out of our hold on one another. '_Why is it we're only close in moments like these,' _is a disheartening thought that stretches across the foreground of my mind before guilt boils over and I focus again on Carnig and the fact that I didn't save him. Naru's hidden his thoughts behind the brick walls in his mind so I don't hear his reply. He mumbles a few things into the phone across the span of a brief conversation before he hangs the phone up.

"That was Lin," he says. "We're missed."

I nod my head and wipe as many of my tears away as I can while we head back to his car and then make our way to the mansion.

The drive back is quiet and the rest of my time spent at the mansion is drowned out by the thoughts that flow through my mind. I remember Carnig for the small amount of time that I knew him and I can't help but question myself again and again, wondering 'what if.'

Naru takes the time to explain to everyone what happened and there's both relief and shame from the fact that _we_ don't have to deal with the aftermath of his kidnapping. Everything is in Atticus' hands. _How is he going to explain the missing body? What will Carnig's parents say or think?_

The next day there is a brief memorial for us to have, a bigger one will be held later, for the whole institute to attend. Even that goes by in a stream of faded memories. I still can't help wondering what I could have done, if anything. I know I could have saved him. I've regressed to taking my pills again, because I don't want to meet him in my dreams in case he's angry that I wasn't able to help him.

The wear that his death has on me is so strong that I don't even realize when I'm back in Japan. I find myself sitting in front of the table located in the main room of the SPR office; we arrived in Japan in the beginning of the day and Naru thought it would be good to work to get our minds off everything. I'm so exhausted that I know I'll be able to fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. Maybe my sleep will be so heavy that I won't have to take a pill.

"Mai," Lin says as he leaves his work room and realizes I'm still here. "You were off of work an hour ago…"

"Wha—?" I say and look up at him. "R-right…" I stand up and turn to leave, catching Lin mumble 'Gene' under his breath.

Gene appears before me. I haven't seen him in a few days. Lin can't see him, but speaks as if he can. "Watch over her please."

Gene looks at me and the dark expression softens. He nods to the door and I make my way out, heading down the stairs to the street. I stop. There's a woman standing on the other side of the door, examining it, unsure if she should enter. _Is that really why she's here?_ We locked the door an hour ago when I was supposed to leave. The main lights are off and it's clearly written on said door that we are closed now; our hours are staring at her from on top of the window.

She looks up at me as I descend the stairs, her eyes hidden by the bangs that swoop across her face, the blue colored sunglasses she wears, as well as her blue head scarf that she has tied around the top of her head. Once I've been spotted, the woman turns around and runs.

"Wait!" I yell and hurry out the door, trying to catch her. She's gone though. "Who was that?" I turn to Gene but he isn't paying attention to me. He's still in the building, floating wide-eyed and gazing at the spot where the woman had stood. "Gene…" I say, and my voice seems to snap him out of his trance. He looks disheveled as he glides to me but his expression quickly changes again as I make my way down the street.

As the cars pass us, I can barely make out the words he seems to be whispering over and over. "Do you… …. …like?" I turn my head to glance at him over my shoulder. "Do you know… …it's like?" I stop walking and let him come closer to me. "Do you know what it's like?"

"What _what_ is like?" I ask.

"Do you know what it's like to be hit by a car?" he says. His eyes are crazy and big. There's a sadistic smile spread across his face. Or maybe it's a smile filled with agony?

"N…no" I say.

"Let me show you." Gene's expression has hardened and he reaches his hand out, shoving me. I fall backwards, my feet moving awkwardly in an attempt to catch me before my side is hit by the oncoming traffic. Luckily, the driver was paying attention and had already started to slow down. I bounce off of the hood, hit the asphalt and roll several yards.

Cars honk around me as the vehicles slow to a stop, halting traffic as people come to me, hoping to see if I'm alive.

I can't move. My body is heavy and my breathing is shallow. Blackness is slowly creeping across my eyesight._ I have to tell Naru…_ I close my eyes and make the connection. _"N-Naru?"_ even in my head, my voice sounds weak.

"_Yes Mai?"_

"_I'm lying outside, in the street. You should call an ambulance."_ With my message sent, I take a deep breath and then lose consciousness.

**AN: So much to say! First! Carnig means "little lamb." Second! I've watched Parasite Eve (the movie) I'd give it 5 out of 9 tails. Maybe 6. I plan on watching the other two soon as well. Three! Sorry about the abrupt transition from England to Japan, it was intentional and yeah… I know there's a lot of cliff hangers huh? Four! I do plan on replying to reviews from the last chapter! I had just promised to get this one out asap so I was focusing on that. I'll begin my review replies either tonight or tomorrow.**


	15. DEFENDING THE PATIENT

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this and I'm not trying to sell any of it.**

**AN: So I changed the last chapter into a personal case so THIS chapter is now Case #10. You would think that this would be a personal case but that's only because Mai isn't an investigator this time around. So it's still _kinda_ a real case. Though I guess the members of SPR aren't really being paid for it and have taken it up for personal reasons… and I never explicitly mention that they're on a case. Oh wth am I even thinking? This should probably be a personal case too and I'll probably change it at some point ugh. Thoughts?**

CASE 10: DEFENDING THE PATIENT

…with potential unfound.

Beep… Be-beep… Beep… Be-beep…

Eugene's face stares at me. His eyes are wide and veins make their ways up to his pupils, red blocking out strands from the white of the ball. His mouth is crooked as a wry smile shows off a hint of his teeth. His face is gaunt. The image covers everything in my mind's eye and no matter where I turn away to escape, he's there asking me the same question, over and over again. "Do you know what it's like to be hit by a car?"

"I don't want to know!" I yell at the top of my lungs. "I don't want to know! I don't want to know!" His hand is placing itself on my chest though, and any second I'll be shoved backwards.

Beep… Be-beep… Beep… Be-beep…

"Mai…" I look over and Gene is standing before me in the familiar cloud. "I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner…"

"Excuse me? This is _your_ fault!" I say angrily. _Who is he to think he can shove me in front of the car and then apologize for… not… making it… in time?_ "Naru—?"

Beep… Be-beep… Beep… Be-beep…

My head is reeling and I feel like I'm going to vomit. I keep falling in and out of consciousness.

"Mai…" I look over and see Naru standing with me in the cloud again.

"N-Naru?" I start to say but I still feel dizzy. As if reading the mood, the fog starts to swirl around us, moving in a wide, slow circle.

"Do you know what it's like to be hit by a car?" Naru says and I take a better look at him. His stoic expression is cast aside for wide, angry eyes and a toothy smile.

"G-Gene?" I gasp and he moves closer to me. I'm scared now. _What am I supposed to do when a spirit enters into my mind like this? Is he going to attack me?_

"Mai, come to me." I look away from Gene and find another, calmer version of him standing nearby. _Naru._ I hurry over to him and he grabs me suddenly, pulling me in close to his chest. He looks stern and focused, planning something.

Gene takes another step towards us and Naru shows me the complex workings of his mind. I never broke out telepathic link after calling out to him when I was hit by the car, and he's now joined our minds. He reaches his hand out towards Gene and concentrates until his mental maze breaks through his mind and stretches its way into my own. The walls force Gene out the same way they had with me, all the while more walls constantly rebuilt themselves around us.

"Now Mai, use your fog…" Naru orders. I relax and let the fog envelop us and the maze, until our minds are completely covered. Our psyche have now become one impenetrable force, consisting of an interchangeable labyrinth shrouded by a dark cloud.

Beep… Be-beep… Beep… Be-beep…

I lost consciousness again and when I come to my mind is pitch black. I'm scared to move because I can't see, but then I realize that I can't move if I wanted to. Naru has a tight hold around me and won't let go, too focused on keeping our defenses up.

"When you fainted again, the cloud darkened," he explained, answering my question before I can ask. He does it again when he answers, "Yes, Gene has tried to enter a few times already."

I sigh, lost at what I should do. I need to wake up but it's hard enough staying conscious when I'm just thinking.

"It's because it takes a lot of energy to work your spirit like this," Naru explains without me needing to ask again.

I nod my head in understanding and try to squint and see through the darkness. There's a soft red glow being emitted in the black.

"Your fox," Naru notes. Sensing my desire, he unfolds his arms from their hold of me so that I can break away and rush to it.

The maze lets up a clear path as I stray towards the fox, its glow illuminating the dark brick walls that form the narrow route I'm running down. As I hurry to it, the distance between us growing smaller, the fox turns and runs away. "Wait!" I say.

I chase after it, further from Naru until the cloud begins to disperse and let in light. Soon I can see an entrance into the maze and eventually I escape out of it. Outside of the maze and our minds, the view is white, like I've walked into a blank sheet of paper. I can't tell up from down or left from right. There aren't any shadows and there isn't any scenery. My body burns with heat but I find it soothing. There's also a painful pressure that digs into the spot in my forehead that sits high above my nose.

The fox has stopped and sits in front of me. I've been close to it before, but it's never appeared this big. While sitting, its head comes up to my own. Something shifts behind it and then moves around the body until I can see what the fox was hiding. Carnig stares at me with a gentle smile.

"**Car-nig-kun?"** I say with unmasked confusion.

"**I feared you would blame yourself for my death so I asked your fox to bring you to me," **Carnig explains.

"**H-how?" **I say. _How could he know that I felt it was my fault? How could he know that there's a fox that has been following me?_

"**Miss Mai, you don't have to worry about it so much. I was dead before you and Mister Oliver even knew I was kidnapped. After my death, my spirit stayed caught at the building, miserable that I had to die. When you and Mister Oliver arrived though, and cried over me, I was happy to know that I could touch you so deeply,"** Carnig explains but I'm still confused about what he means.

I understand now how he knew that we knew, he had been watching us as we searched the building for him. _But what about the fox?_ **"I still don't—"** I start to say.

"**The fox came to me on its own, and told me about the emotional turmoil you were going through. Ultimately, it's your decision on what you do with your life, but I wanted you to hear what I have to say so I asked the fox to bring you to me."** He pauses for a second and shares a look with the fox, as if they are communicating. **"There isn't a lot of time. You're at the borderlands for the spirit world and if you stay too long there's a chance your soul will be stuck here."** He leaves the fox's side and comes closer to me. I kneel down so that we're nearly face to face. **"I wanted you to know that I was happy to die protecting my powers from the hands of those men. I've lived with psychics for a good portion of my life. People with **_**unique**_** abilities and the spirits they interact with don't scare me. It's men like the ones who kidnapped me, and the one who wanted to buy me, that scare me."**

"**Car-nig-kun…"** I whisper.

"**The ability to teleport was a part of me, it was who I am. I don't fear myself, Mai. Do **_**you**_** fear **_**yourself?" **_His face and body begin to turn white and I can make out the figure of the fox sitting behind him, he's becoming transparent now. His final words, **"If you can help it, try not to be afraid,"** ring out as he vanishes completely.

The heat I've been feeling starts to burn hotter and I can feel myself growing light headed again. My vision grows fuzzy, but I watch the fox leap towards me until it has jumped onto my chest. My body falls backwards until it hits the ground. _But I thought there wasn't any ground…_

Beep… Be-beep… Be—

—

—

—ep… Beep… Be-beep… Beep… Be-beep…

My soul slams into my body with enough force to shake the hospital bed. I moan and try to sit up but then fall back to the pillow. My arms and legs are ringing in pain but it's nothing compared to how my head and ribs feel.

"Sh-she's awake," a man's voice says.

"Oh thank heavens, we'll be able to get out of here soon then," a woman's voice says.

"Is that all you care about?" the same male voice says and I can tell that it's Monk who's talking.

"No but if Eugene-san is going to poltergeist around the room again I'd be much more comfortable knowing that it's somewhere that isn't a hospital," the woman says and I can hear Ayako plain as day.

"Eugene-san attacking at all is quite unwarranted, no matter the location," Masako's voice says.

"The entire thing is unprecedented though, what caused him to attack in the first place?" John's voice says. _When did John get here? I must have been in such a trance during our trip back that I didn't realize he had come with us._

"Would you all shut-up," Naru says and his voice is filled with chilly venom. "Your voices are echoing through my head…"

No one says a word and I find that it's easier to relax now. I open my eyes and wince at the light filling the room. "Naru?" There's a squeeze on my hand and I realize he's been holding it this hole time.

"_I took a page out of your book and tested your theory that our mental link is stronger when we're touching,"_ he explains. He lets go of my hand and I decide to break the link so that our minds can finally rest.

He places a hand on my back and helps support me as I sit up. I flush at his touch and I want to be happy that he is holding me like he is, but I feel guilty with Masako in the room, her unwavering eyes staring coolly at me.

"S-so what's the diagnostic?" I ask the room. Aside from the already mentioned, Lin and Yasu are also squeezed in amongst us.

"Hmm… Well you've actually taken little to no damage considering what happened," Doctor Ayako explains. "A bunch of scrapes and cuts which lead to some bruising, minor bruising of the ribs, and a concussion."

I relish at the fact that nothing is broken and there isn't any serious damage.

"Just take it easy for a while, Mai," Monk says. I smile brightly at him but then notice that no one else is smiling and Yasu is being unusually quiet.

"Did something happen while I was unconscious?" I ask. There's an uncomfortable silence amongst them as they shift uneasily. Before any of them gets the nerve to speak, my actual doctor comes into the room.

She ushers everyone out and closes the door so that we aren't disturbed. That's when I notice it. My friends had hidden a camera behind the open door of my hospital room so that I wouldn't see it. They had been filming me while I was asleep. _Was something supernatural occurring?_ _Why else would Naru want to film me?_ My head races with possibilities while the doctor talks on about my condition stabilizing or something. I hear her say that I can be released today but I don't pay attention to her words and continue to stare at the camera. Eventually, she notices.

"Oh that video camera… You're one friend, Davis-Hakasei, he was very pressing about bringing that in here," she says.

I nod my head, still barely paying her any mind and eventually she leaves. I hurry over to the camera before my friends can enter the room, but Naru is too fast. He grabs my wrist and leads my back to the bed while I clutch my ribs in pain.

"Take it easy Mai," he says in a voice that leaves no room for arguing. "I'll let you watch the video, just wait until we're at the base."

I grumble but comply. Within the hour I'm released and find myself crawling into SPR's van. In the distance, I can hear a faint clamber of ecstatic whistles and screams.

Lin starts the van up and I'm shocked that the radio is on.

「This is Kyoko Masa reporting for the Shibuya News Network. As I've already come to report, the stark and poignant leader of Shibuya Psychic Research is none other than the renowned** British scientist Doctor Oliver Davis**. While Davis-hakasei is only twenty years old he is quite accomplished wouldn't you agree? And he's attractive too! Look out ladies, no one is sure why he's in Japan but this may be your only chance to score a date with this network's current man of the hour! Rumor is he's been hauled up at a hospital in—」

"Turn this garbage off," Naru barks as he climbs into the van. The rest of the crew soon joins us and we head back to our office, which is only fifteen minutes away.

Once I've been carefully situated on the main couch, Lin sets up a TV and inserts the footage obtained from the camera while Masako makes tea.

After everything is ready, he starts the video.

An image of me appears on the screen, sleeping peacefully besides the _beep… be-beep…_ of the heart monitor. I'm alone in the room.

"How long was I out anyway?" I ask.

"Just a day," Ayako says but then Naru glares at us and we hush up.

The image of me stays the same save for an occasional flicker of lights. Lin takes the time to fast forward through the video for several minutes until the recording time reads three o'clock in the morning. There's a crack and then the window near my bed shatters, broken glass scattering across me and the floor. My body shakes and convulses and I begin to make a gagging sound.

As I watch the me on screen my hands fly to my mouth in shock. Ayako places a hand onto my shoulder and comforts me as we keep watching.

Suddenly, my on-screen body begins to move upward. My torso rises off the bed as though controlled by a puppeteer. The higher it goes, the more I realize that my body had been defying gravity. Eventually it dangles in the sky, levitating from the point of the torso that has been pulled up. My legs, arms, and neck fall backward towards the ground and the heart monitor appears to have stopped working. In fact, there aren't any lights shining from the equipment.

Footsteps echo outside the room and as the door opens static fills the screen for an instant. Once it's cleared the machines are working properly again, I'm lying undisturbed in my bed, and the window is untouched.

Monk is the one who had investigated the room. He inspects everything but can't find any damage. Not knowing what else to do, he sits beside my bed and begins chanting.

The image distorts and Gene's crazed face stares at the camera for half a second before everything distorts again. Next he's standing beside my body; seemingly unaffected by Monks' chant. He leans down until his forehead is touching mine and then vanishes in a wisp of shadowy light.

A few minutes go by and Naru and Yasu rush into the room. Naru grabs my hand and begins to concentrate until Gene manifests on screen again. He grabs Yasu in anger and forces him across the room, breaking Monk's concentration as he hurries over to Yasu's side.

The rest of the video is basically a battle of wits between the brothers as Naru focuses on defending me from the inside-out and Gene is constantly forced out of my mind and body.

As the film comes to an end I sit and meditate, questioning why Gene would be so prone to attacking me. Spirits are forced to experience a higher amount of emotion and they aren't contained by the same things that a human is. I need to stop looking at Gene as a person and I need to see him as a different kind of entity now. He was once human, but now he's not.

I try to feel for him; normally it's easy because he willingly puts himself into my wavelength whenever I need him. This time though, I can tell he's nearby but he is trying to hide himself. I think about adjusting myself to Masako's wavelength, but then realize she would have sensed Gene this whole time and would have made a note of that. Since she hasn't, it's safe to assume that he's not matching her vibration.

I can feel him though… I try to tune myself to him until his voice becomes louder. He's murmuring something that I can make out. The more I relax my body and focus my mind, the easier I can make out the words he's saying. I start to feel colder as I adjust my connection to him but with enough focus I can finally make out the string of words that he's repeating over and over.

I turn towards his voice and find him sitting crouched in a corner. I stand carefully, so as not to break my concentration. My head is heavy and light at the same time, its weight distributed unevenly atop my body, causing me to move slowly and carefully. The cautiousness I have as I try not to stumble from taking a measly step makes me feel extra graceful and I wonder if this is what Masako experiences on a near constant bases. _It's no wonder she seems so graceful if her body is off kilter to the point that each and every step she takes has to be planned out perfectly so that she doesn't break her connection to the spirits or fail at walking._

I almost smirk at the looks my friends give me as I appear poised and serene while walking over to Gene. _ If only they knew the internal struggle I'm going through_. My wavering thoughts cause Gene's body to blur so I recollect myself for a minute before continuing to him.

I kneel beside him and place a hand on his shoulder.

He turns to me and there's tears rushing down his cheeks. It hurts to see Naru look like this, but I need to focus on the dead twin right now. He's still repeating his words. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"I forgive you," I say and my voice sounds soft and distant, yet still sincere. _I really am starting to act like Masako!_ He blurs again so I refocus my thoughts. "Just tell me what you want."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Eugene, I forgive you. Just let me know how I can help you."

"I'm sorry. I'm—" his voice cracks as waves of emotion roll over him. "—sorry. I'm sorry."

I take his head in my hand and pull his body into an embrace. "I forgive you," I say and I can feel him shudder. There's no turning back now. I don't know how he came to be in this state or how to pull him out. My words are warm but mean nothing to him, they won't cleanse him. At least now he isn't trying to attack me. "Why don't you rest in my key for a while?" I suggest. He continues to whisper is apology as he leans further into my chest until he connects with my old house key and hides himself within it.

I kneel onto the ground and cry. _How can I save him? Is there any way he can come back from this?_ Before I realize she's approached me, Masako has me wrapped in a light hold.

Once I've calmed down, she leads me back to the others. They're watching me worriedly, except Naru, who's deep in thought. I chance a look into his mind and find that he's welling with emotion as well. He could hear half of my conversation with Gene after all, and he puts things together quickly. I wonder how he feels knowing that soon we'll have to cleanse Gene's soul. There must be some masked hesitation because if he was willing to remove Gene for the trouble he's caused, he probably would have had Lin's shiki do it by force.

"Mai," Yasu says, finally speaking up. "Can you remember anything that happened before Gene shoved you in front of the car?"

I think for a moment. "There was a woman at the front door to SPR. His odd behavior started after we had seen her."

Naru's eyes flicker in my direction.

"Odd woman," John says. "What did she look like?"

"She had on blue sunglasses and a blue headscarf," I say. "And her hair did this," I make an awkward motion with my hands as I try to show the position that the woman's bangs fell in. I try visualizing her while I do it and Naru stands abruptly.

I stop gesturing and we all look at him. He sits back down almost immediately and his mind scans through various flashbacks until it comes across one scene. A scene where he's lying on the ground and watching as a woman walks over to him nervously. She kneels beside him to take a look at his current state, her face coming into view.

"That's her," I say aloud. "Sorry… I was reading Naru's mind," I explain to everyone sheepishly.

"That explains a lot then," Naru says.

"Why's that Naru?" Lin says.

"The woman who killed Gene has found my location. I'm sure I can thank that damn reporter for that."

**AN: I almost (jokingly) called this case "THE EXORCISM OF MAI TANIYAMA" based off of the Exorcism of Emily Rose or whatever lol**

**AN #2: I know… this should have been longer. But that only works if the case is long and the case is the main focal point of the chapter. In this case, the focal point was Mai coming home from the hospital which got wrapped up pretty quickly. Sorry…. I promise I'll work on getting a long one out soon!**


	16. THE FORTUNE TELLER

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this and I'm not trying to sell any of it.**

**AN: So I probably won't update for a couple of weeks. We'll see. I'm going to finish editing this story. (I've already gone through chaps 1-10) so over the next nine days I'm going to motivate myself to finish these last few chapters. I'll also make my final decisions about the the case/personal case buisness so the next chapter I post might have a different c/pc number. And then after those nine days I have a 6 day vacation to Cali and AZ! Woot!**

CASE 11: THE FORTUNE TELLER

I grow tall and strong

I wake up to the light humming of electricity coursing unevenly through the ceiling light in my apartment. Gene is causing poltergeists again. He's sitting at one of the windows, staring out into the night and causing the light to flicker on and off.

"Gene?" I say as I head over to him. He hasn't been causing any more trouble since his episode after we returned from England, but he hasn't gone back to usual self either. I fear he never will.

If it wasn't for Naru, I'd be stuck at one of my friends' houses right now. Monk and Ayako especially couldn't stand the idea of me living alone with Gene. But I told everyone I'd be fine. I told them that I _knew_ Gene wouldn't do anything more to hurt me now. Naru was visibly disgruntled with the idea, but he let me have my way nonetheless. It's been a few weeks since Gene's episode and he hasn't acted up violently, but we also haven't seen any more of that woman. Life has gone back to normal but the longer Gene stays this way, the more I feel like we'll lose our connection.

"Do you want to rest in my key, Gene?" I ask softly, so that I don't startle his spirit. He continues to stare out the window. I don't like when he doesn't acknowledge me. It means he's drifting further away, but I need him to stay connected or else we may lose him before we can figure out how to cleanse his soul. _"Naru…"_ I say, connecting my mind to his. He may be miles away from me, living in another apartment somewhere in Shibuya, but I know he'll hear me. Naru's the only other person that still continues to have a link to Gene, and his is stronger since their link is by blood.

"_Mai…"_ Naru's cool voice vibrates through my head and sends a shiver down my spine.

"_He won't go into my key,"_ I explain.

"_I'll be there shortly,"_ he says.

I de-link our thoughts and ponder over his answer. _Normally he would just give some advice but this time he's actually coming over? He must want to drive his car. _Naru decided to get a Japanese driver's license because Lin won't be staying in Japan for much longer and now that Naru is twenty, he can drive the SPR van.

Knowing that my boss is now on his way to my apartment, despite it being three in the morning, I turn on the light and start brewing tea. It isn't long before he's knocking on my door.

I open it hesitantly, realizing that I never changed out of my sweatpants and spaghetti-strap tank-top. _And of course my bra isn't on either…_ My face flushes with red as he walks into my small apartment. At least I've kept it clean and maybe the tea will distract him from my appearance.

"Where is he?" Naru says as I hand him a cup of tea. I nod towards the bench next to the window. As Naru draws closer to his brother, he picks up on the chill in the air and actually sits beside Gene rather than within him. "Gene."

Gene's head turns sharply and he looks at Naru with surprised interest. "Noll."

"Are you tired?" Naru says.

Gene does something that I had never seen him do before. I'd only heard of him doing it once several months ago. He places a hand on the window, his chilly presence conflicting with the heat of my apartment and causing the glass to fog up. Then, with one finger, he writes out** 'yes'.**

"Then why don't you rest in Mai's key?" Naru suggests. Gene can't seem to think of any reason _not_ to rest within my key so he comes to me and begins to possess it. "Is he still here?" Naru asks, noticing the warmth fill in the space that Gene had been occupying.

"No," I say.

"Did he do anything to hurt you?" Naru says.

"No."

It's seems that life is always like this now. Everyone is on edge, wondering when Gene will act up again. _I wish they'd give it a rest already. I'm fine. Gene's the one we need to worry about._

Naru makes himself comfortable on the bench as I pour myself some tea. "Are you ready for tomorrow's case?"

"Of course I am. What do you take me for?" I say snappishly.

"Calm down," Naru says. "I'm not trying to pick on you. You've gone through a lot these past months; even more so in the last couple of weeks."

I shrug and sit beside him on the bench. "So have you. I can't imagine what it must feel like to watch your twin go through all of this." He doesn't respond and stares placidly at the wall opposite of us. I would normally try to read his mind, but I know now that he's hiding his thoughts behind the walls of an internal maze. "So who'll be joining us on the case?"

"Just Lin," Naru says.

There's another pause of awkward silence. "Why not Monk or Ayako? Or at least John?"

"They're busy and we don't have any need for them as of yet," Naru says.

"How about Yasu?"

"He's busy applying for an internship," Naru's eyes move towards me. "Haven't you been paying attention to what has been going on around you lately? These aren't secrets."

"W-well… I…" I try to say. It's true that I've been distracted lately. I can't stop thinking about Gene and that woman.

Naru stands and hands me his empty teacup. "I'm going to leave so that you can sleep. The last thing I need is for drowsiness to mix with your absentmindedness."

I glare at him as he leaves, but then turn off the lights and crawl back into bed. The case tomorrow involves the haunting of a house occupied by a family of three; a father, a mother, and their daughter. Strange things have been occurring in the house reminiscent of poltergeists. _There's been a lot of that lately._

As sleep creeps over me I feel a swirling of energy moving in my gut as I enter into the fog of my mind.

_Is this _really_ another poltergeist?_

There's a girl in front of me. She has brown hair held up in curly pigtails and she's my age. Her school uniform is a standard blue checkered skirt and a long-sleeved white blouse. The only distinguishing feature it contains is a blue bow instead of a tie.

"I know you're coming, psychic," the girl says and her voice is deep and scratchy.

The fog spins and distorts until I'm standing inside of a kitchen-styled classroom, presumably at the school she attends. She's standing in front of me, in between a sink and stove. With a wave of her hand, the drawers in the kitchen slide open and thousands of forks, spoons, and knives raise from their hiding places to float in the air.

A cackling erupts from the girl's mouth, taking me back. Her voice had been creepy enough but she's so beautiful I never expected _that_ noise to rush out of her.

"Why are you so angry?" I yell back. She's starting to remind me of the old stereotypes that westerners have of witches. Her face is getting thin and her eyes start to bug out. Even her hair is starting to look gray and brittle. _What's next? A hooked, wart covered nose?_

The girl grabs a hold of one of the utensils floating beside her; a spoon. I focus of it and watch her extend her hand out so that the spoon is being held by her palm only. "Let me show you a glimpse of my power," the girl whispers hoarsely. _So that wasn't the extent of her power?_ I gasp. I've seen Naru bend a spoon before, but this is nothing compared to that. The metal itself starts to melt across her palm, dribbling down to the floor she's standing on and pooling into a silver glop of liquid.

With a quick intake of breath I wake up and lurch forward in time to watch my clock _click _forward another minute and start _beeping_ as my alarm begins to go off. I sigh and push the button that turns off the alarm. Then my phone starts ringing. Naru. Probably checking to make sure I'm up and ready for the case.

After a quick shower to wash sweat off of my body, I change and grab my pre-packed duffle bag. As I eat a quick breakfast, I hear the SPR van pull up to my apartment.

"Anything interesting happen last night?" Lin asks after I've situated myself in the van.

I don't register Naru's scoff until after I say, "Hmm? Oh yeah there was something interesting." I go into full detail about the dream I had, even going so far as to link my mind to Naru's and show him my memories of the dream while I talk.

"I see," Lin says. "That wasn't exactly what I meant but you're right, that is interesting."

"What did you mean Lin-san?" I ask.

"Obviously he was hinting at something sexual," Naru says.

"Well you _did_ go over to her place at three in the morning," Lin says.

I'm so shocked to hear Lin applying that something naughty happened that I ignore their bickering and text Ayako, Monk, and Yasu.

A second later and Ayako responds saying: 「What _was_ he doing there at _three_ in the morning!?」

Then Yasu replies with: 「GET SOME MAI!」

And finally Monk texts me: 「Lin was probably just teasing Naru and the subject at the time happened to be suggestive. Don't read too much into it. That doesn't make him a perv. You _are_ okay though, right?」

_At least Monk's response was sensible._ I send a quick text to Monk to assure him that I'm fine and then put my phone away. We've reached our destination.

A man with salt and pepper hair greets us at the door. "Hello, you must be from Shibuya Psychic Research."

"Yes, I'm—" Naru starts to say but the man cuts him off.

"Doctor Oliver Davis. Am I right?"

Naru, who had extended his hand to greet the man, drops it. His unemotional face frowns and I almost notice a glare well up in his eyes.

"Y-yep!" I say, breaking the awkwardness. "This is the great and wonderful Doctor Oliver Davis. Please, either refer to him as 'Davis-san' or 'Shibuya-san' since Kazuya Shibuya is the Japanese name he's taken on. And I'm Mai Taniyama and this is our colleague Lin."

"It's a pleasure to meet the three of you, Davis-san, Taniyama-san, and Lin-san," the man says. "I'm Haruo Arata. Please come inside and meet my family."

We enter into his house and luckily, it seems that Naru has calmed down. _"See Naru, it won't be so bad even though they know your real identity,"_ I tell him secretly but he doesn't reply. He just glances in my direction and then rolls his eyes. I smirk and break the connection.

"This is my lovely wife, Haruna," Haruo says as we enter into the living room. Haruna has long, dark brown hair with striking, light hazelnut highlights. I'm sure she was a fashion model at some point but she's let her body fill out. Rather than being model thin she voluptuous and curvy. "And this is my daughter, Harumi."

"_It's her!" _

"_Don't yell Mai!"_

"_Sorry but that's her…"_

"_I know, you showed me your dream, remember?"_

"_Oh… yeah… right… Crap. But why isn't she in school?"_

"_I'm not sure. While Lin and I set up, I want you to follow her around and get to know her."_

"_Sounds like a plan to me. But what if she goes psycho-witch on me and tries to kill me with a kitchen knife or something with those PK powers?"_

"Ahem," Lin coughs and I realize that the family has been waiting for us to introduce ourselves. "Sorry about my colleagues. While _Davis_-san might not be a people person, he and Taniyama-san are both very observant when it comes to the supernatural. So please don't mind them if they become distant like that."

"Eh-heh, sorry," I say and we introduce ourselves. After a brief discussion, Naru and Lin head back to the van to grab the equipment. Haruna heads to the kitchen, Haruo leaves for work, and Harumi goes to her room. I sit and contemplate what the family told us. There's been moving furniture; large couches and dressers flipped upside down; even the contents were upside down. There have also been random fires; the gas stove suddenly lighting ablaze and candles suddenly flickering to life.

The most interesting thing though is Harumi. She was quiet during the interview. And then her mother grabbed her arm.

"We decided to keep Harumi-chan home from school today so that you could see this," Haruna said briskly. Harumi's eyes seemed to water, like she was embarrassed as Haruna revealed the girl's palm to us. There was a distinct pink scar covering it, like she had been burned… _by a melting spoon?_

"That mark wasn't there when she went to bed last night," her father said.

'_The scar would be a great excuse to talk to her,'_ I realize. _Of course we'd want to investigate that._

I rush upstairs and find a door with 「HARUMI」spelled out across it. I knock and am greeted by a "come in." Her voice startles me. _That's more like it._ She doesn't sound like she has a frog in her throat anymore; instead it's lively and energetic.

"Hi-ya Harumi-chan," I say as I open the door to her room. "I hope I'm not intruding." My eyes grow big and I gasp, wondering if the sweet and innocent looking Harumi-chan is part of a cult. There's a pentagon poster on her wall, along with some Buffy and Charmed posters. Her book shelf is filled with books on tarot, astrology, dowsing, and things relating to Wicca. There's too many candles covering her room. They line up against the walls and several also form a circle in the center of the room where it looks like she's created a small alter. The circling candles and the window and door are also outlined in salt. Her bedspread is blue with gold stars embroidered into it and when I look up I'm not surprised to find that the ceiling has been painted black and covered in faint glow-in-the-dark stars. "Uh… Your room is pretty cool…"

"OMG isn't it!" Harumi says and her face bursts into a smile. The shy, tear-stricken girl from downstairs is gone; replaced by an effervescent witch. "My parents hosted a foreign exchange student for a year. An American named Chelsea. She's a Wiccan and she introduced me to all of this. It's just so cool! I can't get enough. But you must understand, since you're a ghost hunter and all."

"Y-yeah…" I mumble.

"It's so sweet meeting other psychic's and people who believe in this stuff so whole-heartedly!" She's beaming at me and has rushed over to hold my hands so that she can lead me to sit on her bed. "I'm a total cutie who's really nice so I don't have trouble making friends and stuff but none of them understand my craft like I'm sure _you_ do. The only time they're remotely interested in when they ask me to tell them about their horoscopes or give them a tarot reading." I notice her bed's comfy as she talks, her words coming out a mile a minute. She's starting to look huffy. "I've had to limit them to one reading a month because they're always pestering me about it. I mean. I love telling them their fortune's but still! Why do they have to ask so much? Can you believe them?"

"Uh… tarot?" I say. I've never had my fortune read before and I've only heard about tarot cards offhandedly if the subject came up in conversation. I actually don't know much about them.

"You sound confused…" Harumi says. "Don't tell me you don't know what tarot is?" I don't like that she sounds cocky when she says this; like _I'm_ the amateur. "What kind of psychic _are_ you?"

"I'm a practicing medium," I say. _Holy crap did I just admit that to myself?_

"You are? That's so cool!" She's back to beaming at me. Then she stands and rushes to her desk, pulling out a deck of cards from the top drawer. "Hey, how about I give you a reading?"

"Oh, um, okay," I say as she plops down onto the bed again. "There's all these rules about the right and wrong way to do a reading. How and who to shuffle the cards. If reversed cards are significant or not. I personally think that the person giving the reading is in charge of making decisions like that and that it can change from person to person. Okay, here're the cards," she hands me the deck to hold. "Now ask the deck a question. You can either send the cards your question mentally, it strengthens the results that way, or you can ask openly which allows for outside influence."

"What do you think I should do?"

"Either works. It really depends on the question. Just do what your gut tells you."

I stare at the deck for a minute. "I don't know what to ask…"

"Hmm," Harumi frowns. "How about a general reading then. Just put some energy into the cards."

"Oh, okay." I close my eyes and focus on my own life force, feeling the heat that swells in my stomach. Willfully, I push some of that heat up my torso, to my shoulders, and then down my arms and out of my hands until the energy is pushed into the cards.

"Alright, good," Harumi says as she takes the deck back. "Hey! They're warm! That's great! You really know what you're doing." Suddenly, Harumi grows serious as she begins to shuffle the cards. I can almost sense a shift in the air. "This top card with be the Significator of your reading," she says and sounds like she's talking to the cards or the room rather than me. She grabs the card and places it in between us, near my left knee. With the rest of the deck, she spreads the cards face down in front of us. "Now pick out five cards. They will call to you with your energy so you should recognize them easily."

I gulp, nervous that I'll make a wrong choice. But still, I move my hand over the cards until I feel heat reach out to me. One by one I choose five cards and hand them to her and she lays them in order. The first card is placed underneath the Significator card, near her right knee. The second card sits to the first card's left; the third is left of the second, and so on until the five cards lay in a row.

"Okie-dokie, now the reading starts." Harumi flips the Significator card. "This is the card meant to embody your presence and focus the reading. It's the _Queen of Tomes_ and it the essence of fire behaving as water. It represents passion and sensuality; one who reflects the desires and ambitions of others, and ignites them. There's also a hint of cockiness and charisma. This is interesting because the card reminds me of you _and_ your boss."

'_You've got that right…'_ I think to myself.

"Normally this card means that _you_ are both forthcoming and cocky but the latter is similar to the aura that Davis-kun was giving off. Makes sense though since he is pretty successful at such a young age."

I gawk at her while she giggles happily. _Does she have a crush on Naru. Go figure!_

"Next card!" She chimes and flips the first card to the right of the line. "This card represents you and how you're viewed on a whole. It's the _Ace of Man_ which is the seed of a new relationship or spiritual journey. So has there been anything new that's entered your life recently? Maybe you and your boss are starting to 'get it on'? Or maybe there's a spirit that's guiding you. This card can represent unexpected messages, chance meetings, and the start of a friendship or romance."

My jaw drops. _That's me all over._ Maybe my feelings towards Naru _aren't_ one-sided. But then again… I have had two spirit guides make themselves known to me. Gene came to me specifically to train me and the fox is definitely trying to guide me towards _something._ And even Carnig was an unexpected friend.

"Moving along then," Harumi says and she grins even wider. Apparently my expressions are rewarding to her. "This next card represents how you, Mai-chan, are seen at a base or _mechanical_ level. Here we have _The Page of Tomes._ It's the essence of fire behaving as earth. It brings about a new passion and an adventurer who blazes through life as a catalyst that others harness. In other words, you must have been acting modest when you said you were just 'a medium in training'. I have a feeling you provide a lot of help for your colleagues to work with which is probably why you're here talking to me. Am I right?" I nod my head and she continues with a smirk. "The card also means that you go after things in a child like way, paving your path with pure mind power and maybe some materials. You can use simple things like that to bring about your own success and with your inner fire you drive away fear."

I'm flabbergasted at how well these cards know me and Harumi can tell, going so far as to tease me.

"You know, Mai-chan, this card can also represent the birth of a child. You're not expecting are you?"

My face is immediately covered by a dark shade of red. "What? No! We haven't even confessed or kissed yet! I mean… I confessed a long time ago but nothing's happened since then." I wave my hands wildly, flustered by her question.

Harumi pouts. "For real? Maybe there isn't a romance blossoming between you then. Well that bites."

"N-no! There has got to be something! Read the next card!"

Harumi laughs at my passion. "Alright then. Now we have _Six of Man._ This card is reversed though which basically means we focus on the opposite of its normal meaning. So this card is going to represent the mental you, or how you're seen in a humanized perspective. When revered it shows that you're closing your heart to the simple joys in life." Her face drops. "Really? You don't seem like that kind of person, Mai-chan."

Harumi has no idea though. It's interesting how this card can see me in ways that she can't. She doesn't know that I've been going through phases of denying my powers.

She continues. "You've been escaping reality by focusing on the past and refusing to embrace adulthood. While this card generally means that you're maintaining the ideals of a child rather than exploring the sexual advances of adulthood, I see a deeper meaning. You've had second thoughts about being a psychic haven't you?" She pauses before I can answer, not that I was planning to. "_And_ you're one of the main reasons you and your boss aren't shacking up, huh?"

"What?" I gasp.

"You said it yourself. You confessed to him a 'long time ago' but haven't said anything to him since. You're afraid he'll reject you again."

I hate admitting that she's right but my eyes betray me and tell her on their own. A few tears escape them and stream down my face.

"Hey now," Haumi says and she places a hand on my shoulder. "Just two more cards to go, okay?"

"Y-yeah…" I say and sniff back any more tears. Once I've whipped my face she keeps going.

"Alright, second from the left." She flips over the next card. "This is the emotional vision of yourself; passions and values. We have _Yog Sothoth_. He represents education, knowledge, wisdom, and esoteric teachings as well as things like the force of nature, intuition, foresight, and spiritual revelations. That's interesting. This seems to be another card based on you _and _your boss. So you're emotionally afflicted by your boss who, no offence, is obviously represented by Sothoth-san's smarter aspects. And you're _also_ influenced by your own spiritual growth. That makes a lot of sense seeing as how you've doubted yourself and hid in the past."

"It's incredible how much these cards can tell…" I admit.

"I know," Harumi looks serene as she talks. "When Chelsea gave me my first reading and I saw how amazing the cards were, I couldn't help but fall in love with the tarot. I chose to follow the path of Wicca right then and there and she and I became best friends."

"One last card," I say with a slight smile.

"Yep. Arguably one of the most important ones too." Her hand reaches over and flips the very last card. "_Nine of Tomes_." She breathes deeply before continuing. "So the card on the far left represents the mystical vision of you. It's the unseen aspects revealed when we look through the lenses provided from the last three cards. This card is a pause in your life as you ready yourself. Preparation before a conclusion in your life. A line drawn before you and _you _need to choose which side you stand on. Or, in other words, are you willing to stand and fight or will you fall?"

"It's both," I gasp with realization.

"What do you mean?"

"I-I-I…" Tears well into my eyes again. "I'm sorry Harumi-chan but I need to go collect myself." I race away from her as fast as I can, hurrying to the van where I can hide away from everyone. But the van isn't outside. _Where was base again?_ I hurry to the Arata's study and rush into the room, closing the door and locking it behind me. I go to a corner of the room and kneel down so that I can cry alone.

"Mai?" Naru says.

"I thought maybe you had gone out with Lin for a bit," I say, hiccuping in between my tears.

"What's wrong?" Naru says. I'm aware that he's crouched beside me.

"I'm near my breaking point at the moment. I can't guarantee that I won't grab hold of you if you keep pressing me to figure out why I'm upset," I say sheepishly.

He sighs. "Alright then." I feel him reach his arms around me and pull me into a light embrace. "I need you in full working condition. You need to be completely focused while we're on these cases, not an emotional train wreck. So what's wrong?"

I cry heavily into his chest. "Harumi-chan just read my fortune…"

"Using tarot cards?"

"Yeah…"

"And they revealed a few things you haven't admitted to yourself?"

I nod my head instead of answer.

"Such as?"

"The fact that I'm still scared about being a ghost hunter." Hopefully he doesn't press for more.

"Mai. You've been overcoming that fear and you've made a lot of progress in that regard. I know that's not the part that is bugging you. What else?" He says. _Crud, he saw through that one._

"It's a mixture of things…" I say awkwardly. _Mainly the fact that I still have feelings for you and of course what's happening to Gene…_

"I'm worried too, Mai," Naru says. He's rubbing my back now and is pressing my cheek to his shoulder. I can feel his head on top of mine. "But we need to learn to let go…"

He's talking about Gene. I don't know why but I almost feel guilty that my current state has pushed him to admit his feelings about Gene being lost to the effects of being a ghost. _Would it be right for me to just leave it like that? _Gene's eventual cleansing does have me worked up, and it is the reason I started crying, but the cards said the reason my relationship with Naru hasn't progressed is because _I_ haven't done anything. _But I shouldn't be thinking about that right now!_ It's so confusing having him hold me like this. I want to confess but I feel guilty jumping from thinking about my remorse over Gene to my development with Naru. The emotional rollercoaster I'm experiencing causes me to shudder and cry more. Naru's hold tightens around me and his overwhelming body heat fuels my feelings. _"I'm still in love with you."_ I break the link as soon as I connected it. I don't want to hear what he thinks. I don't want him to reject me again.

His hold on me softens almost immediately. I lean away from him and start trying to rub the tears from my eyes before catching site of his expression. He's staring at me wide-eyed and shocked. "Mai…" he says. "I just… can't deal with that right now…"

"So you're… turning me down again?" My face almost breaks as I process the information.

Naru places his hand atop my head. "I don't know what to tell you… Your timing is off. There's too much I'm going through at the moment to think about that sort of thing."

There's a knock at the door and Naru stands to answer it.

"Hey, Mai-chan," Harumi says as Naru lets her in. She isn't as bubbly and instead has calmed her demeanor. "I'm sorry about making you cry like that…"

"Oh no, you're fine Harumi-chan," I say halfheartedly. Lin walks into the room then.

"Are you okay, Taniyama-san? Did you and Davis-san get into a fight again?" Lin asks, trying to keep up the 'professional' honorifics that we try to abide by during cases.

"N-no…" I say.

"Lin, I'll need you to pick up some more supplies that I forgot to tell you about," Naru says, redirecting the conversation.

"You're not normally this unorganized," Lin says, trying to find Naru's motive.

Naru glares. "Take Mai with you. She has the list."

Lin looks abashed but complies with Naru's wishes. I do as well, grateful to Naru that he's giving me a means to escape from both Harumi and him.

"So what are we picking up now?" Lin asks once we've situated ourselves in the van.

"Nothing… Naru just wanted to give me the opportunity to get away from everything for a bit."

"I see," is all Lin says. He pulls away from the sidewalk and starts driving aimlessly. We sit in silence, something I never thought could be peaceful, and I contemplate Gene. If he hadn't changed so abruptly, he'd be consulting me about Naru right now. He'd also be one less worry I had since our team wouldn't be so focused on finding a way to exorcise him. I don't know who to talk to in this situation, and I'm definitely not going to talk to Lin about everything.

We drive for hours, stopping to get food at one point, which we eat silently, and soon I find the gentle hum of the engine and slight bumps in the road enough to put me to sleep.

"Oh boo-hoo you baby," Harumi says, cackling again with her disfigured 'witch' face. "You fear the truth yet you still plan on fighting me?"

"I fear the truth?" I yell back. "I faced the truth!"

"I heard you murmur to your friend about fearing that I would stab you with a kitchen knife. How's this?" Harumi summons a sharp blade from nowhere—we're still wrapped in fog. _How could she hear that?_

"You can't hurt me!" I say. "Not in my own element!" I need to remain strong during an invasion like this. I have to fight back my fears and believe in myself. My fox appears, standing before me. Its red aura changes the color of the surrounding mist that encircles us.

"A fox?" Harumi says.

The fox starts shifting, its body turning into a red and orange blob of light. The form twists and contorts and I recognize this seen from a time when I was in England.

"N-no! Get back!" Harumi says and she vanishes from my mind. Instantly, the fox changes back to itself and then dissolves away.

When I wake up the next morning, I share the dream with Naru. Even though I'm nervous talking to him, I fight those feelings and face him head on. He may have rejected me, but that doesn't mean I have to cower before him, and he appears to respect me more for that.

"I don't get it though, Naru," I tell him. "The Harumi in my dreams is like a completely different person then the one in real life."

"I know what you mean," Naru says. "Have you sensed any spirits? Maybe she's being possessed in the instances when you dream." I look at him blank-faced. "Don't tell me you haven't scouted the house for any spirits… I thought you never informed me about your discoveries because there was nothing to tell me about."

"Well… I didn't… think about it…" I laugh nervously.

"You're the working medium on this case, Mai," Naru says and I expect him to blow up on me. "Unless you'd rather I call Hara-san?"

"N-No! I got this under control boss!" I say. I hurry out of the base and go to Harumi's room.

"What's up?" she asks as she lets me in.

"Naru wants me to check to see if you've been possessed. I'm supposed to sense out any spirits," I explain.

"Oh yeah. Do you mean Suzume-sama?" Harumi says.

"Suzume?" I ask.

"She's my spirit guide. She's been training me and teaching me about the tarot and everything. Suzume-sama says I'm a natural with great power."

"Is Suzume the one who did that to your hand?" I say.

Harumi hesitates. "She said she was sorry…"

"Do you even know what she did to cause the scar?"

Harumi shakes her head 'no'.

"Is Suzume the one who causes the furniture to flip?" I say.

"No. I do that on my own, with her training…" Harumi admits.

"So you have strong PK abilities then?" I say. "Are there any negative side effects when you flip over a couch or a dresser?"

Harumi wavers before she answers. "I normally get really light headed and sometimes I faint or get a bloody nose and then faint."

"Harumi-chan… It doesn't sound like she's guiding you; more like she's using you in hopes of taking over your body at some point." I say.

"And what do you know, scum?" Harumi says. Her voice is distorted and the pure look in her eyes has been tarnished.

I stand abruptly. The team isn't equipped to cleanse a human peacefully and I know that I can't talk the witch out. "Why would you posses someone like her? My abilities are far stronger and I've allied myself with someone who has powerful PK abilities." I link my mind to Naru's so he knows what I'm planning.

Suzume ponders my offer and then leaves Harumi's body so that she can posses mine. My spirit hovers over head while I wait for Naru to reach deeper into my psyche.

"M-Mai-chan?" Harumi asks as my demeanor changes.

"Foolish girl," I say but my voice is distinctly deep and scratchy. "I've found a stronger vessel." My hand reaches out and slaps Harumi across the face before my body starts laughing uncontrollable. I lean my spirit into my body's head.

"You're the foolish one," I say inside of my head to grab her attention internally. Once she's focused on my spirit Naru comes in for the attack, surrounding her with tall walls of brick while I shroud the confinement with dark fog. She's trapped in a corner of my mind now and I'm able to reposes my body.

"Sorry Harumi-chan. Are you okay?" I say before turning to leave the room.

"Yes. What happened?" Harumi asks, chasing after me.

"Your spirit guide isn't all she's cracked up to be. She's too concerned with power and strength but she doesn't understand that you can't take control of a human body forever. Eventually the body will grow weak and die. She's basically trying to kill you but use you before she can. We're going to exorcise her though." I explain as we enter into the base. Harumi's parents have come to join us.

"How did you come across the spirit?" Lin asks as I stand before him, preparing myself. Naru has already told Lin the plan.

"I was using an Ouija board. Trying to find a guide," Harumi explains.

"With all of those books in your room I'd assume you understood the implications of using something like that," I say.

"I-I never realized…" Harumi says.

"Please, don't punish her," Haruna pleads, trying to defend her daughter.

"Mai's the one who will be punished," Naru says. "This kind of exorcism is rather offhanded compared to more genuine methods. Because of your daughter's ignorance, Mai is about to go through some pretty drastic pain."

"Long story short, Naru," I say; Suzume is becoming restless. I turn to Harumi. "This will be the last time I see you. I don't blame you for anything and I definitely think you should continue reading tarot cards. You're amazing at that. Just be careful when speaking to spirits alright?"

"After the exorcism, we'll be leaving for the hospital immediately, and then Lin and I will come back to retrieve our belongings," Naru says.

"Ready Mai?" Lin asks. I nod my head and he whistles. A shiki flies through me, striking me hard and forcing Suzume out of my body. I stumble backwards, being grabbed by Naru before falling completely to the ground.

I can feel blood filling up at my gut and I can see Lin's shiki tearing apart at the spirit. I feel bad that we didn't try to cleanse it, but she had been filled with such malice that I don't know where we would have started.

"Mai-chan!" Harumi yells, rushing over to Naru and me as I'm lifted into the air. My sight has gone black and my hearing is starting to fade.

"Don't worry, Harumi-san. She's strong, and she's gone through this before. Mai will be fine," Naru says calmly, unworried.

I'm not worried either, he's right, this is nothing I haven't experienced before. And at least now I'm being held in his arms. With that though, I let my body pass out.

_I wonder what case we'll solve next?_

**AN: Mai is fine! I tried making it overly obvious but if it isn't, don't worry about her. I'm not going for a cliffhanger in regards to her physical injury lol. Anyway, Harumi-chan was such an interesting character to write that i _almost_ wan't to make her a reoccurring character. I probably won't though but we'll see. She's partially inspired by Mine from the Furuba manga. (partially). So I have some fast facts for you:**

**Fast Fact #1: There's a website called Facade that does online based free tarot readings. For the name I entered: Mai Taniyama, for the question I entered: What does her future show? Then I selected the two "choose for me" options and hit submit. The only card from the reading that I selected was the Significator card. Everything else was randomly generated and I thought it worked so well that I kept it for the story. I've put a link on my profile that should actually take you directly to that specific reading if you want to look at it and get more details about the cards.**

**Fast Facts (Names):**

**HARUMI meaning "beautiful spring" (春美) - Japanese girl name.**

**HARUNA meaning "spring vegetables" (春菜) - Japanese girl name.**

**HARUO meaning "man of spring" (春男) - Japanese boy name.**

**ARATA meaning "new, fresh" (新) - Japanese boy name.**

**SUZUME meaning "sparrow" (雀) - Japanese girl name.**


End file.
